Displaying towering crimson flags with a traditional band accompaniment, the Okuma-Kabuto festival has an exotic vibe. Long ago it used to be held in Kumakinogō, and now it is held in the Nakajimachō district of Nanao City. The festival is recognized nationally as an essential Intangible Cultural Property and is spearheaded by the Kumakabuto Arakashihiko Shrine. Its 19 subordinate shrines come together to make it happen. The festival happens on September 20th every year, which is why they also call it the “Hatsuka-matsuri” or “Festival of the Twentieth”.

This is an “Ōbata” flag inherited from the Nakajima Hakusan Shrine, one of nineteen subordinate shrines overseen by the Kumakabuto Arakashihiko Shrine. Large as its name implies, this “wakubata” flag is a whopping 16 meters tall, but there are also Ōbata flags that reach as many as 20 meters. Nowadays they aren’t paraded much anymore because they require many bearers to carry, so instead, smaller “Chūbata,” or “mid-sized” flags, are typically used.

The decoration at the tip of this flag designates it as a “Kinshabata,” or “brocaded silk flag.” They are higher ranked among all the flags and are extremely expensive. The embroidered characters express the sentiments of the different subordinate shrines. An adornment known as a “sarunoko” is attached to the flag, and as the name implies, resembles a stuffed monkey toy. Some say it’s a vessel for a god to descend into, others say it conveys a greeting - there are many theories regarding the purpose of the sarunoko, but none stand out as the true reason.

The procession starts early on the morning of September 20th; the different subordinate shrines gather their wakubata flags and portable shrines to depart for the head shrine of Kumakabuto Arakashihiko. Some sub-shrines mount their flags on two Japanese-style ships and parade them along the sea. The different processions are led by an individual wearing a Tengu goblin mask known as “sarutahiko”. In the Kojiki, a famous early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, songs and the like, Sarutahiko was a god that guided the procession of the sun goddess Amaterasu-Ōmikami’s grandson as he descended to earth. The Sarutahiko of the festival are clad in broad-sleeved kimono and phoenix-shaped “torikabuto” helmets. They also carry meter-long bamboo rods adorned with colorful paper streamers, which they use to purify the road to the head shrine. Ringing gongs and beating taiko drums further color the elaborate, vigorous procession, alongside shouts of “iyasakasa” as the flag-bearers raise the wakabata high in the air.

When all nineteen of the processions arrive at the head shrine, the Sarutahiko begin a ceremony where they dance and whirl their bamboo rods. All the while, the festival continues with all nineteen districts included; the scene comes alive with boisterous dynamism. A fun fact: the Sarutahiko follow no choreography when they dance - it’s all improvised.

After the festival, the different processions depart in an order previously decided by drawing lots. They head for the final destination of Kamowara, and the central palanquin will be placed, 700 meters away from the main shrine. At the final destination, the men ring the gongs and beat the drums feverishly, where they vigorously raise the wakubata and perform the exquisite “Shimada-kuzushi”.

The “Shimada” points to the “Shimada topknot” hairstyle worn by the young ladies who come to watch the festival. The tips of the slanted wakubata flags appear to crash into these islands of finely coiffed women, giving the “kuzushi” part of the name. Thus “Shimada-kuzushi” roughly translates to “destruction of Shimada.”

So, just what kind of performance is it? Let’s find out by learning what a “flag-puller” does.