Akita · Akita
Akita Kantō Matsuri
秋田竿燈まつり
Long poles hung with lantern "rice sacks", balanced on a forehead, a hip, a shoulder.
Next
3–6 August 2027
284 days away
Every year, 3 August, for 4 days
Future dates: 3 August 2027 · 3 August 2028 · 3 August 2029
Origin
It descends from neburi-nagashi, a midsummer rite for driving off sickness and bad air. The lanterns stand for sacks of rice and the whole pole for a heavy ear of grain: a prayer for harvest that hardened into a physical skill.
What to look for
A pole can weigh fifty kilos and stand twelve metres; the bearer takes his hands off and holds it on his forehead or shoulder. Watch the hand-overs between bearers, and the tension when wind bends a pole. Daytime competitions let you see the technique up close.
How to watch
Part of watching well is keeping an escape route in the direction a pole might fall. If you are standing at the front, stay compact — sitting down blocks everyone behind you.
Where
Kantō Ōdōri, Akita
Akita, Akita
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