Danjiri Festival! Kishiwada, Osaka

It’s been over a year since I last visited Osaka, so it was nice to be back, and nicer having experienced the Danjiri Festival in Kishiwada for the first time!  Danjiri are large wooden carts in the shape of a shrine or temple. The carts are crafted out of wood with elaborate carvings.  The Kishiwada, Osaka Danjiri Festival is a two-day Autumn festival in September.  It is widely considered one of Osaka’s most famous and dangerous festivals.  On the day of the festival, town members pull their danjiri through the streets and around corners at speeds that have caused accidents and fatalities in years past.  Although I anticipated a more dangerous environment, in actuality it didn’t appear to be at all.  I’m sure there have been several advancements to the quality of the danjiris throughout the years, so I couldn’t imagine one tipping over at the pace I witnessed.  Nevertheless, precaution is advised if you plan to attend this festival.  According to local history, about three hundred years ago, Nagayasu Okabe, a feudal lord built Shinto temples to pray for a rich harvest, and he permitted town folks to come into these religious areas of his castle while pulling a danjiri.  To this date, it’s customary for Danjiri festival participants to enter into Shinto temples and pray together at the conclusion of the event.  All in all, it was an exciting and interesting festival to have seen, and definitely made a weekend trip to Osaka all the more memorable!

Note:  Follow this link to all the pictures I took:  Danjiri Festival Album