On September 16th and 17th, the Danjiri Festival will be held in Kishiwada City, located in the direction of Kansai International Airport, about 30 minutes by train from the Osaka Minami area, and for the first time in four years, it will be held on a large scale with unlimited spectators.
What is Kishiwada Danjiri Festival?
The Danjiri Festival is said to have started in Kishiwada Castle Town in the mid-Edo period. It is said to have its origins in the Inari Festival in 1703, when the lord of the Kishiwada domain, Yasushi Okabe, invited Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari to the Sannomaru in the castle grounds to pray for a rich harvest.
Danjiri is an offering to the gods by the townsfolk, and is a festival similar to the official Shinto rituals held by shrines and castles. The person on the roof of the danjiri is called the “carpenter” and has the role of the danjiri’s commander.
Danjiri is a festival culture that spreads widely throughout western Japan, from the Seto Inland Sea coast to Kyushu, centering on Osaka and the Kansai region.
It is a festival in which dozens of men run through the city pulling portable shrines made of wood called danjiri.
Among them, the “Kishiwada Danjiri Festival” held in the town of “Kishiwada” is the most heroic of all the danjiri festivals in Osaka and Kansai, and it is a famous festival in Osaka and throughout the country that uses the entire town.
It is also a Shinto ritual to pray for a rich harvest, and since it is not for tourism purposes, many locals living in Osaka, such as the northern part of the country, have never seen the Danjiri Festival. However, I believe that it is one of the largest in the country in terms of its impact and the scale of the entire city .
If you are sightseeing in Osaka at this time, watching the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival is a highly recommended activity!
The sound of drums and flutes echoing throughout the town, and the heroic danjiri dancing are a must-see!
Why don’t you come and visit us?
Kishiwada Danjiri Festival 2023 <September Festival>
Venue : Around Kishiwada Station (get off at Kishiwada Station on the Nankai Electric Railway)
Event period : September 16th (Sat) and 17th (Sun), 2023
Kishiwada Danjiri Festival from 6:00 to 22:00 Official WEBSITE : https://www.city.kishiwada.osaka.jp/site/danjiri/
