Tachi Neputa

babibubebo | 19 09 2007

Tachi Neputa takes place about the same time as Nebuta, in Goshogawara, from August 4th-8th. Like Nebuta Matsuri, Tachi Neputa Matsuri is a night festival where extremely large floats are carried around in a parade like fashion. The difference is in the “tachi” which actually means “standing” in Japanese. So instead of large, wide floats like at Nebuta, here you can see really tall ones. The floats can be as big as about 70 feet (22 meters) and weigh around 15 tons!

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Nebuta Matsuri is a lot more famous, but I actually prefer Tachi Neputa.

Nebuta is so famous that it is just too crowded. Don’t get me wrong, Tachi Neputa doesn’t have a lot of open space but it is not even comparable to the crowds at Nebuta. You can arrive 30-45 minutes ahead of time and easily find some front row space somewhere along the route.

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Also the parade moves along much faster than Nebuta. Because it is so famous and there are so many people waiting to see it, Nebuta moves along at a snails pace…even for me, a photographer who likes to take his time taking photos.

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Finally, I just liked the song better at Tachi Neputa. Here are a few more photos below and check out the gallery if you want to see all of them. Here is some more information about Tachi Neputa.

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

Tachi Neputa by Evan Pike

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  • http://www.appleotaku.com Jason

    Wow, those floats truly look impressive. I look forward to seeing those things in person!

  • http://babibubebo.com babibubebo

    Yeah, of the the three float festivals, I was def most impressed with these really tall ones! Also it is a lot less crowded than Nebuta Matsuri…

  • http://johnfultz.blogspot.com John Fultz

    I really enjoyed your blog and great photos. Thank you for letting me take a virtual trip to Japan.

    John

    http://johnfultz.blogspot.com

  • http://www.JohnBaymore.com John Baymore

    Just stumbled onto this site. GREAT photographs of a rather spectacular part of Japanese culture.

    If you happen to visit northen Tohoku in August this is a “must see” event. Brave the crowds. I have seen the Hirosaki, Aomori, and Goshogawara events, and they are completely different in character. I too prefer the Goshogawara festival; it is more raucous and festive with a very high energy level. Hirosaki’s event is the most subdued of the three.

    In 2006, as an artist-in-residence in Japan (ceramic artist), I had the pleasure and honor of being invited by the mayor of Goshogawara to assist in pulling one of the Tachi Neputa during the first night of the Matsuri (festival). It was truly an amazing experience and a very different perspective on the festivities.

    The floats are incredibly heavy, and the huge form acts like a sail in the wind…. often being hard to guide, start, or stop as the breeze varies. Even without the breezes, the inertia of a stopped Neputa is daunting; it takes a significant coordinated “heave” from everyone to get it going. Guiding the towering Neputa out of the Goshogawara Museum where they are housed was an interesting puzzle, since the clearances to the walls are very tight and it takes a LOT of people carefully working together to move one.

    With hours spent chanting and pushing and pulling in the intense August heat and humidity, it was a trancendent and memorable time for me.

    Check out this festival if you can.

    best,

    …………………john

  • http://babibubebo.com babibubebo

    Thanks John for that wonderful personal insight! Hope you drop by again sometime. Take care!