Today is the Oi Yamakasa

July 15th in Hakata is the climax of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, the day of the Oiyama.
This year things won't go as usual, but the passionate spirit of the Yamakasa remains as strong as ever.

Yamakasa is a traditional event that represents Fukuoka and has a history of over 700 years.
One theory is that this festival began when, during the Kamakura period, an epidemic broke out in Hakata, and Shoichi Kokushi stood on a segaki shelf and sprinkled sacred water to pray for the epidemic to go away.

The decorated Yamakasa, which was specially dedicated to Kushida Shrine, the main shrine of Hakata, was built to pray for the elimination of epidemics, which is the origin of the Yamakasa.

We hope that the pandemic will end as soon as possible and that the event will be held safely next year.