Karatsu Kunchi is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property held at Karatsu Shrine on 2–4 November each year. The festival's defining feature is its fourteen hikiyama — enormous lacquered floats shaped as mythological creatures, samurai helmets and legendary beasts — that are hauled through the town by hundreds of participants to the accompaniment of flute and drum. The floats, crafted between 1819 and 1876, are true works of art and are on permanent display in the dedicated Hikiyama Exhibition Hall. This deeply local festival draws over a million visitors despite being lesser known abroad.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- November 2–4
- Region
- Kyushu
- Prefecture
- Saga
- City
- Karatsu
Highlights
- ◆Fourteen historic lacquered hikiyama floats, some nearly 200 years old
- ◆Floats on permanent display in the Hikiyama Exhibition Hall year-round
- ◆Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan
- ◆Night processions under lantern light on 2 and 3 November
- ◆Combines well with visits to Karatsu Castle and the Genkai coastline