By YUKIKO KITAMURA/ Staff Writer
July 11, 2021 at 18:44 JST
Artisans start construction on a "Kanko-hoko" float in Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward on July 10. (Kenta Sujino)
KYOTO--City authorities gave the green light July 10 to begin work on constructing massive, decorative floats for the annual Gion Festival--even though the climactic processions are now canceled for the second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Constructing the floats, which takes place on Kyoto streets, is aimed at preventing artisans’ age-old techniques from getting rusty due to non-use.
Floats, some called “yama” and others “hoko,” vary in size and weight. They consist of numerous components, including the roof and wheels.
The largest one stands 20 meters tall and weighs more than 10 tons. Still, only ropes are used to bind the parts to build and complete a float using traditional techniques.
The festival, which runs until the end of this month, has two climatic parts: the Saki Matsuri (first festival) and the Ato Matsuri (latter festival).
In a normal year, 23 floats will be constructed for the first festival. But only 11 will be assembled this year by July 14.
Festival officials left the decision to assemble floats to each of the float-preservation associations, which is community based.
For the latter festival, six of the 11 floats will be built.
Festival officials warned that onlookers should not gather when floats are being built as a precaution against the novel coronavirus.
Gion Festival parades canceled but floats built to pass down skills
July 8, 2021
Special 'nebuta' float created by 14 artisans on display in Aomori
February 8, 2021
With tourism down, Kyoto pulls menacing signs on manners
October 8, 2020
VOX POPULI: People need something tangible to cling to in a crisis
January 6, 2021
Imperial Hotel to open in Kyoto's historic Gion in spring 2026
June 15, 2021
A hand-held fan is geisha’s only protection against virus
September 9, 2020
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
