The 38th Kichijoji Autumn Matsuri Festival took place recently this month. This festival begun not so many years ago as a part of the larger scale Musashino Hachimangu Festival. The two commercial districs in the city of Kichijoji (Sun Road and Heiwa Dori) joined together for a Mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine carried by a crowd which parades down the streets (below).

In order to carry the mikoshi, a piece of clothing called Hanten which is specified according to the district must be worn. Therefore, one cannot jump in and participate on the day of the festival.

A pair of tabi is worn rather than shoes.

Participants drink Japanese sake before carrying the mikoshi.

The matsuri festival begins with the marching out of the mikoshi from the shrine. A total of about 10 mikoshi is gathered before they all depart from the shrine.

The mikoshi is marched out along with energetic calls.

I started off at the rear end of the mikoshi. It was much heavier than it seemed, and it was quite tough, especially in the heat.

I moved up a little towards the front. The closer you get to the front, the heavier the weight.

This is the children’s mikoshi.
It was paraded by children with a lot of energy.

Each commercial district marched out their own special mikoshi down the streets of Kichijoji.

From above.

After actually carrying the mikoshi, my only comment is that it was extremely heavy…
Not only was it my first mikoshi experience, but I was also an outsider of the community so I was a bit nervous about participating.

I struggled to carry the mikoshi, which actually require experience and skill. Because the mikoshi needs to be raised up and down while parading in or order to make the jingle the bells attached to it, the wooden pole which goes on the shoulders also go up and down. If you don’t go with the rhythm, the wood will bump onto the shoulder and cause a lot of pain. It has been 2 days since the festival, but the swell on my shoulder still do not go away.

It was harder on my shoulders in the beginning, making my face wrinkle in pain. As I got used to it, it bothered me less. It was quite nice calling out in unison with the crowd and joining to lift the mikoshi. I was an outsider, but most of the participants were deeply a part of the community. Both young and old, Many were acquaintances of each other. They were the annual event which brings them together to enjoy the special day drinking and making some noise with the old mates. What a great event masturi is.

There are all sorts of matsuri festivals thoughout Japan, some of them being closed to outsiders. The mikoshi parade I participated in, on the other hand, was welcoming towards all and I was able to fully enjoy the event.

Kichijoji Autumn Matsuri Festival: Omikoshi experience1.MOV

Kichijoji Autumn Matsuri Festival: Omikoshi experience2.MOV

Kichijoji Autumn Matsuri Festival: Omikoshi experience3.MOV

Kichijoji Autumn Matsuri Festival: Omikoshi experience4.MOV

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