Tachi Neputa Festival – Goshogawara 2009

We crossed over the bridge into Goshogawara at dusk. In the distance, I could see an assemblage of fierce, heathen Neputa war-gods descending upon the city. Entering the human world through the doors of an enormous warehouse, the Neputa shown brightly, illuminated from within.

Without changing pose, they floated through the streets. One Neputa stood tall, arms raised in triumph. Another held a knife to the throat of an enemy, whose face was twisted in a pained grimace.

As I walked with my family toward the center of the city, the sound of rhythmic drum grew louder and louder. The beat was punctuated by the shouts of “yattemare”, meaning to fight or throw stones, by costumed, dancing haneto mortals, who were dwarfed by the magnificent creatures. I pulled my children in close beside me and we walked down the densely crowded sidewalk to get a closer look.

Vendors selling sake, beer, yakisoba and skewered hot dogs, pickles, and yakitori lined the streets. They enticed passersby with by sing-sing lists of their wares.

We settled at the corner of an intersection, the first in the parade route, and did our best to mingle with the crowd.

When I looked upwards, I noticed that, while we were surrounded by buildings, the were no power lines running along the street. (I later learned that the streets were specifically designed to accommodate the Neputa’s annual visit, and that all electric and telephone cables for the structures along the parade route were run through an underground tunnel system.)

Slowly, ushered by haneto dancers, some of whom were very young, the enormous creatures moved towards us. The Neputa were about 22 meters tall and were made of sculpted metal scaffolding, covered in brightly painted washi to depict Neputa warriors. The Neputa stood on wooden platforms covered with images of with waves, flowers, stars and war scenes. Inside the Neputa, strung along the scaffolding, were strands of light bulbs that made the towering gods glow in the darkness. We had an amazing view.

Each group of dancers paused to perform in front of us. When they noticed our obviously foreign presence, they purposefully danced next to us (see 1:47 of first video below) and pushed their beautifully grotesque painted faces in front of our wide eyes. They offered some tiny cymbals to my children, but my frightened children shook their heads and refused to play. I hoisted Leah, my youngest, up to my shoulders so that she could see over the crowd. She grabbed my hair and wrapped her chubby little legs around my neck. We found the rhythm and danced together.

A particularly large Tachi Neputa entered the intersection square. Costumed men blew whistles to warn onlookers to stand back. Then, they grabbed ropes tethered to the base of Neputa and began to run in circles around the towering giant. It began to spin. High above the traffic lights and buildings, the Neputa spun like a gigantic top. His face, body and all his decorations blurred into a frenzied whirl.

The Neputa festival is an annual matsuri event that takes place in early August in various cities around Aomori Prefecture. In our city, it is spelled “Neputa”, but elsewhere in Japan, it is “Nebuta”. Our city is known for the “Tachi” Neputa, which are significantly taller than the traditional sized Nebuta seen in other cities.

Learn more:
Goshogawara Tourist Association: Tachi Neputa
TachiNeputa.JP
Matsuri (Japanese Festivals)
Aomori Nebuta Festival (Wikipedia)
Nebuta.jp
Matsuri Festival Food – Photo Library

Photo Credit: Yours truly.
Video Credit: My husband Tom :)