Kariya Mando Matsuri Festival

Trip Start Jul 26, 2008

Trip End May 17, 2013

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Flag of Japan Kariya, Chubu, Japan
Sunday, July 31, 2011

There are a number of festivals in the summertime and even in my neighbourhood, a festival held somewhere almost every weekend of July and August. Actually, I had no plan for a festival until the previous day, but I felt frustrated without travelling for more than three months. So I made up my mind to watch a festival. Then I had three choices: Mando Festival of Kariya, Oiden Festival of Toyota, and Jazz Festival of Nagoya. The most popular is Toyota Oiden Festival, but I had experienced it before and I was not interested in its main feature, fireworks display,so much. Jazz Festival looked more intriguing, but I am not so enthusiastic as to listen on tap. Eventually, I chose Kariya Mando Festival. Mando is a 5-meter-high and 60-kg-heavy figure made of paper. It looked like famous historical characters just like that of Nebuta Festival of Aomori, one of the most famous Japanese festivals. In contrast to Nebuta, only one man shoulders the figure and dance to the music of Japanese flutes and drums.

Mando

On my way to the festival venue, I saw a lot of visitors wearing light cotton kimono on the train. Later, however, it turned out that most all of them were going to Toyota, not Kariya. Anyway, I arrived at Kariya before dusk. A number of paper figures had been arranged along a street and figure carriers were cheering and hopping around them. To be honest, they were not appealing to me at that time. I took a few pictures there and left for the main venue Akiba Shrine. In the precincts of the shrine, a group of children was showing their dances, shouldering figures and hopping in a circle. Their families enjoyed taking pictures or shooting videos, but it was not my taste. I headed to another venue, but to tell the truth, I felt like going back home at the time. However, because I had seen some pictures of beautiful paper figures illuminated from within at night, I chose to stay there, waiting for dusk to fall.

At around seven, illuminated paper figures came to the venue. My choice was right. The figures were much more beautiful than those before dusk. Personally, I felt that they were not worth watching in the daytime but worth watching in the evening. Kariya Mando Festival was completely different from Toyota Oiden Festival in every aspect. It has much longer history and outstanding uniqueness. Although there is a tendency for young people to prefer trends to traditions, Mando Festival has been loved for more than two centuries by local people of Kariya.

Mando Matsuri 2009 (from YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN2509KDvVk&feature=related
I only took some pictures of the festival, but it is easier to understand with a video like this. Check it out.

Slideshow