The Niihama Taiko Matsuri, held each October since the Edo period, centres on 53 elaborately decorated taiko-dai floats, each weighing up to three tonnes and adorned with intricate embroideries. Competing neighbourhood teams carry the floats through the streets in a show of strength and civic pride. Clashes between rival floats — called kaki-kurabé — are the dramatic highlight that draws visitors from across Japan. The festival is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ehime Prefecture.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- October (16–18)
- Region
- Shikoku
- Prefecture
- Ehime
- City
- Niihama
Highlights
- ◆53 ornate three-tonne taiko-dai floats
- ◆Dramatic float-clash competitions (kaki-kurabé)
- ◆Intricate hand-embroidered float decorations
- ◆Designated Ehime Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property
- ◆Evening illuminated float processions