F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-203
Furogu Grand Festival: Hadakan-gyo (Naked Procession)
風浪宮大祭 裸ん行ふうろうぐうたいさい はだかんぎょう
The Furogu Grand Festival, popularly called the "Ofuro-san Festival," is the great annual rite of Furogu Shrine in Okawa City, Fukuoka, and is counted among the three great festivals of the Chikugo region alongside Kora Taisha and the Suitengu of Kurume. Its highlight, the "hadakan-gyo" (naked procession) held on the night of 10 February, is known as one of the three great fire festivals of Chikugo. Young men in loincloths, white tabi socks and twisted headbands run through the city carrying blazing torches, praying for the expulsion of evil and for good health. The greatest spectacle is the sight of torch-fire streaming through the darkness, the fire and the throng of bared bodies producing a fierce visual impact. Over the festival's three days, processional rites and the yabusame (horseback archery, an Okawa City–designated intangible cultural property) are also held, making it a beloved winter rite of this city of the sea and the river.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The intensity of loincloth-clad young men running en masse through the night city, blazing torches held aloft
- 02The stark visual contrast of torch-fire streaming through darkness and the throng of bared bodies
- 03A double distinction — one of the 'three great Chikugo festivals' and one of the 'three great Chikugo fire festivals'
- 04A comprehensive program, with yabusame (an Okawa City intangible cultural property) and processional rites over three days
D E E P D I V E