The Danjiri Festival
Mr. Jun Suzuki, living in the Gomon area of Kumatori town
What is the Danjiri Festival?
It is one of the many festivals held between summer and autumn
throughout Japan to offer thanks for the grain harvested that year, andto pray for a rich harvest in the years ahead. In Kumatori town, there
remains a written record showing that the Danjiri festival was held in
1800s. In the Senshu region, the southern part of Osaka Prefecture,
Kishiwada city leads off by holding their Danjiri festival in the middle ofSeptember of each year, and then the surrounding cities and towns
follow in the middle of October.
Children and adults, both male and female, wearing Happi coat (acostume for the festival) join in the festival to pull together the Danjirii
along the road. People on board the Danjiri play festive tunes on the flute,drums, and bells, and on top of its roof, a brave man called Daikugata(*1) jumps up and down, and gives directional instruction to thosepulling the Danjiri. It is a breathtaking spectacle!

with other members of thefestival organization

In Kumatori town, their Danjiri festival is held on Saturday and Sunday
just before the second Monday of October each year.
Saturday: In the morning, the Danjiri traverses the area of which it is apart, and in the afternoon, it makes its way to Omori Shrine in thecenter of the Kumatori town, awaiting its turn of worship at the shrine tobe purified.
Sunday: In the morning, the Danjiri is pulled around the area of which it
is a part, and in the afternoon, joins in the parade in front of Kumatori
train station. All of the town’s Danjiri participate. At night, the Danjiri,
lit with many lanterns, are slowly towed around. Sightseers are truly
amazed at the spectacle!

The Danjiri(*1) Daiku-gata (Carpenters): A man
who is on the roof of Danjiri directing
the course of movement. The sight of
his jumping up and down with a fan
in one hand and dancing in agraceful manner keeps the visitors’eyes glued to the spectacle.

The Danjiri is a four-wheeled vehicle, greater than 3.6 meters in height and weighing about 4 tons, with anenshrined “house structure” made of zelkova wood. It is walled with minute wooden carvings of historicalscenes well-known to the local people and equipped with a drum and bell for playing festival tunes.
Construction of the body of a new Danjiri is said to cost more than 100 million yen.
In Kumatori town, 11 areas out of 36 areas in total have their own Danjiri, with the oldest one constructed in
the latter half of the 1800s. Since then, the construction of Danjiri has continued throughout the 1900s and2000s. A look at the works of the Danijiri and its wooden carvings in chronological order shows the transitionsof the workmanship and art work.
At the Kumatori Community Center “RENGAKAN (Brick House)”, the oldest Danjiri constructed in 1880s ison permanent display after having been retired from commission.

At the front, a carving of a famous scene of a local battle← The Danjiri of Odani Area

Towing the Danjiri
The Danjiri is towed by about 200 young people, both male and female, with two ropes of 50 meters to 100
meters in length.

Yari-mawashi (Towing round the corner)
The highlight of the Danjiri festival is the Yari-mawashi. The Danjiri is towed at nonstop running speed
while navigating 90 degree corners. Its powerful and thrilling towing attracts a multitude of spectators.

Entering the Shrine precinct for worshipping, and the parade in front of the train station
After entering Omori Shrine, the Danjiri are towed round at high speed in the precinct. The Danjiri are towed
around the area surrounding the station, and each has its own special enjoyable entertainment which isdisplayed in front of the station.

Miya-iri, entering the Omori
Shrine precinct

Yari-mawashi, towing round thecorner in front of the station

Enjoyable entertainment
during the parade in front ofthe station

Danjiri lit with many lanterns being towed around.
At night, the Danjiri are slowly towed around lit with many vermeil lanterns, thus producing a mood offantasy, quite a contrast to that of the daytime.

Group organization for the Festival
The Danjiri festival group people are independently involved in not only the towing of the Danjiri but also
traffic control and act as security guards around the Danjiri. The Danjiri festival group is well-organized andthe roles of group members are assigned depending on age.
Elementary school pupils tow at the lead.
Junior high school students tow in the middle.
The Youth Group of high school students, and older tow closest to the Danjiri.
The Kumi Group of late twenties and thirties of age is in charge of navigating with a lever at the back of theDanjiri, and the role of Daiku-gata on the roof.
The Waka-gashira Group in their forties is in charge of security around the Danjiri, and in braking with thelever in front.
The Sewa-nin Group in their fifties is in charge of traffic control along the route of the Danjiri andadministration of the festival.

One-year schedule until the festival
The duration of the Danjiri festival is only two days in October. However, preparation needs to be done
throughout a year.
October (the second Monday): The following day after the year’s festival, suffering from muscle pain, thefestival group members get together to clean up the litter on the street, take down the decorations, wipe clean
the dirt off the Danjiri, and inspect any damage it might have incurred. Then, the Danjiri gets covered with asheet and is housed in the Danjiri barn. Festival reviewing meetings are held later. By repeatedly watching
the videos of the festival, improvements for the following year are addressed.
November: A report on the festival of the year, any improvements required, expenses incurred and so on are
noted for reference for the following year.
April: The new festival organizations of all Danjiri owned areas get ready to start, and their administrative
members join together to pay a greeting visit to the police department, the bus companies, other companies,
groups and organizations that extend cooperation to them.
May ~ July: In the past, the Danjiri housing barns were opened only before the festival. These days, however,the number of Danjiri owned areas which hold Danjiri hands on events in order to have young children
become interested in the festival is increasing.
August: Organization members are busy fund raising and making applications to the police department forDanjiri routes.
September: Meetings among the Danjiri owned organizations are held almost every day to discuss practicing
towing and Yari-mawashi, towing round the corner. Towards the evening, the children gather at the Danjiri
housing barn, practicing drumming in harmony with festival tunes played by The Youth Group. Some of thechildren go up on the Danjiri roof and practicing dancing. Toward the end of the month, the festival members
start preparations for setting their stations and decorating the Danjiri towing routes with red and white
striped cloth, thus putting the whole of the town in a festive mood.
October (The first Sunday): A trial towing of the Danjiri, and if any points are found unsatisfactory, repeat
practices are done to correct them before the actual towing.
October (The second Saturday and Sunday): The actual towing starts! The Danjiri is worshipped at Omori
Shrine and gets purified for safe towing, and then departs to the front! After this, the two days of the festival
pass as if but a dream!

------- Then, new preparations start
for the following year! -------