Japan is crazy for festivals, and the Tohoku region is no exception. In fact, the area has some of the hottest summer festivals known in Japan, like the Nebuta Festival in Aomori and the Sendai Tanabata Festival in Miyagi. Today, we’ll look at the Akita Kanto Festival, held in Akita prefecture every August. Feel Akita’s summer heat and celebrate at the Akita Kanto Festival!
About the Akita Kanto Festival
Kanto
The origins of Akita Kanto Festival are said to be in the Edo period (1603 – 1867). The festival originated as a summer ritual to pray away summer illnesses and bad luck.
Strips of papers with wishes written down were streamed down a river, and this event became the prototype for the Akita Kanto Festival.
Akita Kanto Festival: when and where?
The Akita Kanto Festival is held from August 3rd to the 6th every year. Each day, the festival is divided into the afternoon division and the evening division.
The afternoon division is held at Area Nakaichi, which is right in front of the Akita Prefectural Museum of Art.
The evening division is held on Kanto Dori Street. Both are accessible by foot from Akita Station.
Evening division: Powerful kanto performances
Evening division
During the evening division of the Kanto Festival, kanto craftsmen deliver powerful performances. A “kanto 竿燈” is a long pole with lanterns attached all over it. Kanto can weigh up to 50 kilograms per unit, and be as 12 meters long.
img src="https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/thegate/2019/06/13/17/41/08/Akita-Kanto-Festival-Standed-Kanto.jpg" alt="Akita Kanto Festival Evening Division Overall" />
Standed Kanto
The performance begins with the blow of a whistle, and all of the craftsmen stand up at once.
Five different performances
Hitai
The craftsmen don’t just hold the kanto poles with their hands – they balance it on many different parts of their body. There are five different performance types:
Nagashi – 流し
The “nagashi” performance is done to ease passing the kanto pole. The pole is first balanced on the dominant hand, and then slid 15 to 20 centimeters at a time to switch hands.
Hirate – 平手
The “hirate” is one of the most basic kanto performances. The pole is balanced on one hand while the other arm is stretched out to maintain balance.
Hitai – 額
“Hitai”, meaning forehead in Japanese, is just that – the kanto pole is balanced on one’s forehead. The kanto pole is carefully slid from the hand to the forehead.
Once on the forehead, the craftsman spreads their arms widely to maintain balance.
Kata – 肩
The craftsmen also balance the kanto pole on their “kata”, or shoulder. This performance is said to be the easiest of the five.
Keeping the dominant arm straight, bring your shoulders back slowly. By keeping your leg and shoulder adjacent, you can balance your pole on your shoulder.
Koshi – 腰
The “koshi” (meaning hip) is said to be the hardest of the five performances. Place the kanto pole on your dominant hand, and slide it through your fingers to your hip.
Stand with your legs far apart for balance, and if you’re lucky you might succeed. This difficult performance is usually performed towards the end of the night, and is applauded greatly when accomplished.
Afternoon division
Afternoon division performances（Photo by 秋田市写真館）
Although the evening division is the main event of the festival, the afternoon division is worth watching, too. The “Myogi-kai”, or stunt performances, is held, where kanto craftsmen compete to see who has the most skill.
Experience Kanto-balancing! – 秋田市民俗芸能伝承館
the kanto craftsmen perform their stunts（Photo by 秋田市写真館）
At the Akita City Minzoku Geinou Densho-kan, visitors can try out kanto-balancing. On weekends and holidays from April to October, you can also see the kanto craftsmen perform their stunts.
Even if you can’t make it during the festival, you can visit this cultural museum for a part of the experience.
Access
Nearest station: JR Akita Station
From Akita Airport 秋田空港
【Akita Airport Sta.】Highway Bus / for Akita Station
→【Akita Sta.】about a 15-minute walk
From Morioka Station 盛岡駅
【Morioka Sta.】Akita Shinkansen / for Akita
→【Akita Sta.】about a 15-minute walk
Other Events
During the Akita Kanto festival, many smaller events are held throughout the city, such as a miniature kanto pole display and an Akita cuisine fair.
You can enjoy your whole day in Akita city during the festivities.
Information
1-1-1 Sanno, Akita-shi, Akita
018-888-5602
Box Seat（6 people）: ¥20,000 S Seat: ¥3,000 A Seat: ¥2,500 B Seat: ¥2,100
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