LastUpDate: July 9, 2009

Hakata Culture vol.13


Shudan Yamamise - Expanding Yamakasa's Appeal

Shudan Yamamise picture

The Shudan Yamamise (Group Festival Float Display), which starts every year at three thirty pm on July 13, is the only event in which the floats for the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival are moved outside the Hakata area, the merchants’ district, to the Fukuoka area, where the daimyo’s castle was once located. Shudan Yamamise began in 1962 at the request of Fukuoka City, whose mayor at the time was Genzo Abe. He wanted to create an opportunity for more residents and tourists to enjoy Yamakasa.

The race starts at an intersection in Gofuku-machi, Hakata Ward, and continues in a straight line over the Nishi Bridge on the Naka River to ACROS Fukuoka. It makes a left turn and continues from there to the front of the Fukuoka City municipal offices. The floats spread out along the 1.3 kilometer-long course on Meiji-dori, past the Hakata-za (theater) and the Nakasu district. The high speeds seen at the Shudan Yamamise can be attributed in part to its short distance compared to the five-kilometer oiyama. Thanks to the straight course which extends down a wide city street, the handlers can ramp up the speed until it seems as if they are galloping through town.

It is only during the Shudan Yamamise that the daiagari (the people who sit on the floats and direct the team carrying it) are well-known people from Fukuoka and Hakata. Mayor Yoshida will serve as the daiagari for the first float, from the Daikoku nagare (team). The team members for the first float are the only ones who can sing the Hakata Iwai Uta (Hakata Celebration Song), with the line “iwai medetaa no,” when they arrive at the end of the course. The sight of the group singing the song together in front of the municipal offices is a highlight of the event. There are usually six daiagari: three in the front and three in the rear. They have the important role of directing the float’s entire operation. The person designated as the leader of this group of six is the man sitting in the center of the front row.

The names of the people serving as daiagari are announced at the beginning of July. Well-known people who have served in this role in the past include Softbank president Masayoshi Son and architect Arata Isozaki. Participants say that taking part just once while dressed in the special clothing is enough to get a person hooked on the experience.



 A public relations manager
 Kimiyo Sasaki



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福岡市の要請で始まった「集団山見せ」

 毎年7月13日午後3時半からスタートする「集団山見せ」。商人の町・博多の祭りである博多祗園山笠のかき山が、城下町・福岡に乗り入れる唯一の行事です。この行事は昭和37(1962)年の阿部源蔵市長時代、福岡市の要請で始まりました。ご存じのように本番の追い山は7月15日の早朝4時59分にスタートし、走るコースも博多部だけであるため、「市民や観光客にも広く山笠を見てもらいたい」という願いから始まりました。

 博多区呉服町交差点をスタートして那珂川にかかる西大橋を渡りアクロス福岡まで一直線に走り、左折して福岡市役所前がゴールとなります。博多座、中洲などのある明治通りを道いっぱいに広がって全長約1.3キロのコースを走りますが、タイムを競うことはありません。本番の「追い山」は5キロほどを走るので、それに比べると短い距離ですが、広い直線道路を走るのでスピードが増して、まさに駆け抜けるといった様子となります。

 この集団山見せに限って、台上がりは福岡・博多の知名士が務めます。吉田市長は一番山の東流に台上がりする予定です。到着地点で「祝いめでた~の」と唄われる「博多祝い唄」を唱和できるのは一番山だけ。市役所前で一斉に唄われる姿は圧巻です。台上がりは通常前側に3名、後ろ側に3名計6名で、本来は、かき山の全体指揮を執る重要な役割を持つ人たちです。特に前側中央に座る人が実質的なリーダーと見なされています。

 7月に入ると台上がりする知名士が発表されます。これまでにソフトバンクの孫正義社長や建築家の磯崎新さんらが台上がりしました。一度でも山笠の格好をして参加すると病みつきになるようです。アメリカ領事が福岡時代に山笠に参加して、それからは毎年転勤しても7月は福岡に戻ってくるという話を聞きました。ましてや、台上がりした人は、その興奮が忘れられないのではないでしょうか。


   福岡市広報課長 佐々木 喜美代