Niihama Taiko Festival

History overview

There is currently no document that can clearly answer when the drum stand occurred. According to local folklore, it is a type of float that is dedicated to the portable shrine at the time of the festival and is intended for worship. It is said that when the portable shrine was handed over, it participated in the line and served solemnly, and its origin is said to date back to the Heian period or the Kamakura period. The drum stand in the Niihama region was originally dedicated to Ujigami in gratitude for the autumn of a good harvest.
The taikodai appeared on the record in the late Edo period, during the Bunsei era. The drum stand from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era was only about the size of the current children's drum stand, and the tent did not have the same bulge as it does today.
With the development of industry due to the opening of the Besshi Copper Mine, the drum stand has grown rapidly since the middle of the Meiji era, and the drum stand from the middle of the Meiji era to the early Showa era is about the same as the current drum stand. The size of the awning was large, and the awning had a bulge. The curtain was a little thin, but it's pretty close to what it is today.
Today, among the many drums on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, Niihama Taikodai has become known nationwide as the protagonist of its gorgeous and magnificent "Otoko Matsuri".

Drum stand size

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Main highlights

Affiliation drum stand

• Kawanishi area

  Eguchi、Oe、Kinei、Kuchiya、Kubota、Shonai、Shinsuka、Shinden、Nakasuka、Nishihara、Nishimachi、Higashimachi、Honmachi

• Kawahigashi area

  Ashima、Kussaki、Shimogo、Shirahama、Shinden、Tanoue、Higashihama、Matano、Matsumiko

• Kawahigasi western area

  Ukijima、Udaka、Sawazu、Shinonome、Hongo、Machi、Matsunoki、Yamahana

• Funaki area

  Ikeda、Kubohara、Kouso、Nagano、Motofunaki

• Sumino area

  Kikouji、Kitauchi、Shinden、Nakasuji

• Izumigawa area

  Kamiizumi、Shimoizumi、Touda、Matsugisakai

• Nakahagi area

  Uwabara、Kishinoshita、Jiromaru、Tsuchihashi、Hagyunishi、Hagyuhigashi、Hongo

• Ojoin area

  kamihongo、Kishikage、Kirai、Shimohongo

Festival craftsmen active in the city

The drum stand that appeared in the Bunsei era in the latter half of the Edo period became huge after the middle of the Meiji era, and its structure became solid.
And now, the magnificent Niihama Taiko Festival is one of the three major festivals in Shikoku.
And behind that, the hearts and skills of many people who continue to support the tradition of 300 years are flowing.
The taikodai is the pride of each district, and the decorations in particular are at the center of the topic, and each competes for luxury while at the same time paying attention to preservation.
The decorative curtains with unique three-dimensional embroidery are maintained by the people of the enthusiastic district throughout the year, but they cannot withstand the violent festival movements and the old ones over the years. It may be damaged or deformed.

Repairing and refurbishing the decoration curtain, which is the face of the drum stand, requires great care and skill, but the festival craftsmen living in the city respond with confidence and pride.
In order to continue to protect culture and tradition and inherit the technique of three-dimensional embroidery of decorative curtains ………