CHICHIBU NIGHT FESTIVAL: A LOVE STORY RETOLD

2023 Dec 03 Sun 60°F -- The Chichibu Night Festival is one of the three best float festivals in Japan, along with the Kyoto Gion Festival and the Hida Takayama Festival. It is a Shinto festival that is listed both on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list and Japan’s List of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties.

On the night of Dec 03, the grand finale of the festival, the love story of Myōken, the female deity of Chichibu Shrine, and the male dragon God of Mt. Buko is retold in a magnificent show of floats and fireworks. According to legend, the dragon God is officially married to Yasakatome-no-kami, the deity of Suwa Shrine, but he is in love with Myōken. Every year, on the night of Dec 03, Myōken travels to see Suwa and asks for a night with her lover. If granted, they meet at Kamenoko Rock in Otabijo, where a statue of a turtle is enshrined. Otabijo is now Chichibu Park, near Chichibu City Hall.

There are 6 floats, each representing a district: 4 portable shrines (yatai) and 2 flower parasols (kasaboko). All floats are gorgeously decorated with tapestries, gilded wood carvings, and paper lanterns (bonboris 雪洞). At night, the floats come to life, illuminated with bonboris, while the fireworks paint the dark sky with fiery colors, and the synchronized chanting of "wasshoi" and "banzai" makes the night festival incredibly energizing and fun. This is an extraordinary festival where the entire community comes together to play and pray for their Shinto deities.