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Seihakusai Festival in Nanao: A Living Tradition at the Heart of Noto
The annual Hikiyama ritual features 12-meter wooden floats and invites visitors to help pull them through Nanao’s streets.
- From May 3 to 5, the Seihakusai Festival transformed Nanao, Ishikawa, as enormous wooden Dekayama floats standing 12 meters tall and weighing up to 20 tons paraded through the streets. Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, this event celebrates Noto's enduring culture.
- The festival's defining moment is the tsujimawashi, where each Dekayama is turned at street corners with wheels nearly two meters in diameter grinding against the pavement. Tekoshk guide the floats using long levers, demonstrating raw power and precision passed down across generations.
- Visitors joined the procession, helping pull the Dekayama through narrow streets as traditional chants and the crowd's cries of "Wasshoi!" and "Enya!" filled the air. This participatory element created a visceral rhythm that defined the festival experience.
- On May 4, the three Dekayama from Kajimachi, Fuchumachi, and Uomachi converged at Ltokonushi Shrine in a gathering of breathtaking scale. The floats reassembled on May 5 near Noto Shokusai Market and Sentai Bridge, offering spectators another unmissable moment.
- The Seihakusai Festival serves as a symbol of Noto's recovery and resilience after recent challenges. With nearby Noto Shokusai Market and Notojima Aquarium having resumed operations, the event remains a natural centerpiece for tourism in the Hokuriku region.
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Seihakusai Festival in Nanao: A Living Tradition at the Heart of Noto
Seihakusai Festival Information— Hikiyama (Dekayama) Ritual Dates: May 3 (Sun) – May 5 (Tue), 2026 Location: Sannōmachi, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture (Ōtokonushi Shrine and central Nanao area)
Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left6Leaning Right4Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
47% Center
L 32%
C 47%
R 21%
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