Dangerous danjiri festivals
Danjiri are the large wooden mobile (Shinto) shrines, which are said to house the local God, which are pulled around neighbourhoods in Summer festivals where the locals can get together to watch the shrine and dance to the accompanying drums and music.
Often weighing several tons the danjiri are ornate and decorative whose purpose is to bring good harvests and good fortune to the locals.
In Kishiwada hundreds of thousands of people come each year to see the danjiri pulled at breakneck speeds around the town and, like the civilian bullfighters in Spain who are injured or crushed by rampaging bulls each year, maybe see a couple of locals get wiped out.
Held over three days the festival starts early and ends late and there are many stalls offering food and drinks and everyone gets dressed up in their bright and beautiful kimonos and yukatas.
If you can’t make it to Kishiwada then its likely that your local neighbourhood will have a danjiri festival to participate in. You certainly can’t miss the sound of the shrine being pulled towards you. Keep an eye out or there’s a chance you’ll be sent to heaven by the local God directly!
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