The Kanto Matsuri Folklore Group
The history of Kanto Matsuri, the holiday of lights, counts about 400 years.
Since the 18th century in Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan (and since the 19th century all over Japan) street processions have been walking along the main street carrying long (up to 12 meters) bamboo poles with a lot of lanterns hung from them.
Children and adults are all involved in these colorful processions. The poles with lanterns vary in height, being 5, 7, 9 and 12 meters long, as well as in the number of lanterns hanging down from 24 to 46 pieces. The weight of the whole assembly varies from 5 to 50 kg. The procession participants artfully balance their poles placing them in the palm outstretched hand, on forehead and on hip. This wonderful festival is held within the Obon celebration activities honoring and remembering the ancestors.
Members of the Kanto Matsuri Folklore Group have taken part almost at all important national and international events held in Japan, featuring among others the Olympic Games in Tokyo (1964) and World’s Fair in Osaka (1970). They also successfully perform in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the USA and Russia.
Kanto Matsuri has a high title of “National cultural heritage of Japan”.
