Danjiri Festival (an annual festival held in October)

Marvel at the speed and power of danjiri pulled through winding streets!

The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival boasts around 300 years of history and tradition. It is said that the feudal lord of Kishiwada at the time enacted a ceremonial transport of part of the spirit of Inari (the deity of agriculture, among other things) from Fushimi Inari in Kyoto to the outermost region of his castle walls in Kishiwada in order to pray for an abundant harvest. The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival is said to have its origins in that first Inari Festival. It is also said that it arose from the townsfolk holding a festival to ward off illness at the Kishiki-jinja Shrine. During the festival, danjiri (decorative wheeled parade floats) that weigh more than four tons are pulled forcefully through winding and perpendicular streets by ropes, often abruptly changing directions—an act called yari-mawashi that is a major highlight of the festival. Over the two days of the festival, the danjiri are pulled about multiple times through set paths, and onlookers can see the yari-mawashi in action whenever the floats arrive at a curve or corner. The atmosphere transforms with the onset of evening, when the danjiri are decorated with as many as 200 paper lanterns. Danjiri (decorative wheeled parade floats): Made entirely of zelkova wood that has been elaborately engraved in detail, the danjiri is a work of art in motion.

Danjiri; The term danjiri is what people in Western Japan call the dashi (itself a general term for a float or a palanquin that is either pulled or carried during a festival; they are brilliantly colored and elaborately decorated with things like flowers and dolls) that are part of most Japanese festival celebrations.