Figure 1.--Traditional drums are used in many Japanese festivals. Here boys in 2006 practice with some of the drums used at the Wakamiya festival a few weeks before the actual festival.

The Wakamiya Festival is an annual festival in Japan held at the Wakamiya Shrine which is the branch of Kasuga Grand Shrine. By tradition the festival was founded September 17 by Tadamichi Fujiwara, Kampaku who was the Chief Advisor of the Emperor. This was the second year of Hoen (1136) in the late Heian era. He sought to pray for a bumper crop. For many years it was the Budhist monk soldiers of the Kofuku-ji Temple that oversaw the festival. Over the years in Japan the Shinto and Budhist religions coexisted with people often adopting beliefs and celebratiing holidays from both. During the Meiji era, the decesion was taken to separate Shintoism and Buddhism. The Wakamiya Festival changed into a festival for the whole Nara. The date of the festival changed to December 17. The center piece of the festival is transferring the Divine Spirit of Wakamiya to Otabisho, which is located close to the approach to the Kasuga Grand Shrine. A daytime parade of people wearing costumes of entertainers, martial arts practioners, and feudal lords. There are many night time a range of dedicatory entertainments, especially Shinto music and dancing (Kagura), court dance and music (Bugaku), ritual music and dancing (Dengaku) and Seinoo. Finally the Divine Spirit is returned to the Wakamiya Shrine.

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Created: 8:36 PM 12/21/2006
Last updated: 8:36 PM 12/21/2006