On 13th February, hubby and I went to a snow festival named Inukko matsuri in Yuzawa city of Akita prefecture. Yuzawa city is about 60 km away from our home. We used national highway routes 107 and 398, and it took us about 1.5 hours to reach Yuzawa by our car. The roads were very slippery due to heavy snow and hubby had to drive rather slowly. We parked our car at a car park near Yuzawa railway station and walked for about 10 minutes to reach the festival site.
Inukko matsuri and its customs originated in the early Edo period (about 400 years). Around this period, some masterless samurai day-time bandits attacked houses in broad daylight with an objective of killing people rather than stealing money. The violence could not be tolerated and the feudal lord of Yuzawa fought and got rid of the bandits. To celebrate peace and to protect themselves and their homes against future violence, villagers made dolls out of mochi rice flour in the form of small dogs (inukko), cranes and tortoises, and displayed them at the entrance and windows of their storehouses and houses on the lunar New Year as charms and prayers to ward off bandits. This was the beginning of Inukko festival. Later on households started to erect small snow shrines at the entrance gate and offerings of mochi inukko dolls, rice cakes, and amazake (a hot sweet drink made of malted rice) were placed at the shrine altar. They also build snow sculptures of dogs in front of the snow shrines as prayers for protection against evil and for a rich harvest. Inukko sculptures and snow shrines were traditionally erected in front of each house. However after the construction of roads, very few people build snow sculptures in front of their houses, as they used to in the past. Nowadays to avoid interference with road traffic, snow shrines and inukko sculptures are erected at Chuo Koen Park grounds adjacent to Yuzawa Municipality Hall.
Inukko matsuri is one of the first major festivals of the year. Over the centuries, the festival has adapted to varying historical and social contexts by renewing and modifying themes, performances, and techniques. Since Yuzawa winters are cold and snowy, the present-day inukko matsuri combines religious ritual with a popular snow-sculpture festival. For inukko matsuri festival, Chuo Koen Park site is turned into an ‘inukko concourse’, where households, schools, shops, clubs, and several companies construct imaginative snow sculptures of inukko in front of small shrine halls called odokko. Candles, offertory boxes, and small inukko of mochi rice are placed at the altars of odokko halls. At a prominent place in the concourse, volunteers erect a main snow shrine called Inukko Jinja in front of which a ritual is performed by a Shinto priest attended by the representatives of the municipality. There are a lot of visitors who come to visit the efforts of their schools, neighbors, and companies during the festivities. Inukko matsuri is held on second Saturday and following Sunday of February and is sponsored by Inukko Festival Executive committee.
After parking our car at a car-park near Yuzawa railway station at about 2.30 pm, hubby and I walked towards Chuo Koen Park located adjacent to Yuzawa Municipality Hall. It took us about ten minutes to reach the festival site. While walking, we saw many mini-odokko shrine halls lined on either side of the road. Mochi rice inukko charm dolls and lit candles were placed at the altar of mini-odokko shrines.
Inukko matsuri and its customs originated in the early Edo period (about 400 years). Around this period, some masterless samurai day-time bandits attacked houses in broad daylight with an objective of killing people rather than stealing money. The violence could not be tolerated and the feudal lord of Yuzawa fought and got rid of the bandits. To celebrate peace and to protect themselves and their homes against future violence, villagers made dolls out of mochi rice flour in the form of small dogs (inukko), cranes and tortoises, and displayed them at the entrance and windows of their storehouses and houses on the lunar New Year as charms and prayers to ward off bandits. This was the beginning of Inukko festival. Later on households started to erect small snow shrines at the entrance gate and offerings of mochi inukko dolls, rice cakes, and amazake (a hot sweet drink made of malted rice) were placed at the shrine altar. They also build snow sculptures of dogs in front of the snow shrines as prayers for protection against evil and for a rich harvest. Inukko sculptures and snow shrines were traditionally erected in front of each house. However after the construction of roads, very few people build snow sculptures in front of their houses, as they used to in the past. Nowadays to avoid interference with road traffic, snow shrines and inukko sculptures are erected at Chuo Koen Park grounds adjacent to Yuzawa Municipality Hall.
Inukko matsuri is one of the first major festivals of the year. Over the centuries, the festival has adapted to varying historical and social contexts by renewing and modifying themes, performances, and techniques. Since Yuzawa winters are cold and snowy, the present-day inukko matsuri combines religious ritual with a popular snow-sculpture festival. For inukko matsuri festival, Chuo Koen Park site is turned into an ‘inukko concourse’, where households, schools, shops, clubs, and several companies construct imaginative snow sculptures of inukko in front of small shrine halls called odokko. Candles, offertory boxes, and small inukko of mochi rice are placed at the altars of odokko halls. At a prominent place in the concourse, volunteers erect a main snow shrine called Inukko Jinja in front of which a ritual is performed by a Shinto priest attended by the representatives of the municipality. There are a lot of visitors who come to visit the efforts of their schools, neighbors, and companies during the festivities. Inukko matsuri is held on second Saturday and following Sunday of February and is sponsored by Inukko Festival Executive committee.
After parking our car at a car-park near Yuzawa railway station at about 2.30 pm, hubby and I walked towards Chuo Koen Park located adjacent to Yuzawa Municipality Hall. It took us about ten minutes to reach the festival site. While walking, we saw many mini-odokko shrine halls lined on either side of the road. Mochi rice inukko charm dolls and lit candles were placed at the altar of mini-odokko shrines.
Yuzawa railway station
Mini-odokko halls located along the roadside and mochi inukko charm dolls at odokko altar
At the festival site, there were many food stalls and carnival games. We bought hot potato fries at one of the food stalls and ate them while watching others play various kinds of games. It was fun to watch a child play kingyo-sukui or goldfish scooping. Using a paper net called poi, he tried to scoop goldfish from a large water tank into a bowl. He got to keep the fishes he successfully scooped. The paper net easily rips when wet, and the game finishes when the net is completely torn. The kid seemed to be an expert in goldfish scooping. I compiled a short video of kingyo-sukui.
Food stalls and carnival games at festival site
Video of a child playing kingyo-sukui
After walking for a few minutes, we reached in front of Yuzawa Municipality Hall. A snow odokko shrine hall was erected in front of the Municipality building. Two snow sculptures of inukko were constructed in front of odokko shrine hall. I took a photo of hubby standing in front of odokko hall and inukko sculptures. On the other side of the road snow-volleyball competition was being held. It was fun to watch the sport as the players found it difficult to balance themselves on icy grounds and often slipped in a funny manner.
Hubby standing near odokko shrine hall and inukko dogs erected in front of Yuzawa Municipality Hall
Snow-volleyball competition held at the park ground
After walking for a few more minutes, we reached inukko concourse. At the entrance of the concourse, three majestic odokko shrine halls were erected and huge inukko snow dogs were sculpted in front of each hall. It was an amazing sight and people were busy taking photographs in front of these three odokko halls. We also took a few photos here.
Majestic odokko shrine halls at the entrance of inukko concourse
Majestic odokko shrine halls at the entrance of inukko concourse
Me standing in front of an odokko shrine at the entrance of inukko concourse
Hubby standing in front of another odokko shrine at the entrance of inukko concourse
Afterwards we walked through a lane in the concourse and enjoyed seeing innumerable snow inukko sculptures and odokko shrine halls. Inukko Jinja snow shrine was located at a prominent place in the concourse. Walking through the concourse lane, we reached Inukko Jinja and prayed at the shrine altar. Inukko Jinja is sponsored by Yuzawa work office Ministry of Construction (Yuzawa-shi Kensetsu Kyokai). A fire was burning in front of the shrine where we warmed our hands. Since there was a big crowd of people wishing to pray at the shrine, we had to move away from the altar immediately after offering our prayers. So we moved to one of the side of the shrine. The side-view of the Inukko Jinja shrine also looked beautiful and wonderful. I took a few photos of hubby standing at one of the sides of the shrine as well as sitting on a huge snow dog sculpture at the shrine.
Inukko concourse
Rows of odokko halls and inukko sculptures at the concourse
Inukko Jinja shrine
One of the sides of Inukko Jinja shrine
Hubby standing at one of the sides of the shrine
Hubby sitting on a huge snow dog sculpture
There were several food stalls at inukko concourse. We bought tama-konnyaku (konnyaku shaped into little balls) and enjoyed eating it while walking through other lanes at the concourse. All the lanes in the concourse held a magical wondrous feeling. There were rows and rows of huge snow guardian inukko sculptures in front of odokko halls. Marvelous halls and huge snow dogs felt like a world of fairytales. I prayed at the altar of several odokko hall shrines.
Hubby eating tama-konnyaku and walking through the lanes of inukko concourse
Another lane at the concourse
Rows of odokko halls and inukko sculptures at another lane in the concourse
Rows of inukko sculptures at the concourse
I am standing next to a huge inukko snow dog
I am praying at a few odokko shrine halls
The odokko hall shrines and huge imaginative snow inukko sculptures at the concourse were constructed by the efforts of various groups and agencies like private households, schools, shops, clubs, and companies. Hubby took several photos of me standing in front of various such odokko halls and inukko sculptures.
A few odokko halls and inukko sculptures sponsored by various private and public organizations
After enjoying the snow sculptures at inukko concourse for about 1.5 hours, we went to a food stall and ate yakisoba. Yakisoba tasted hot and wonderful in the cold snowy climate. We temporarily left the concourse at about 5 pm and went to a nearby family restaurant named Gusto to have an early dinner.
Hubby eating yakisoba
At about 6.30 pm, it was completely dark outside so we returned back to inukko concourse to enjoy the view at night time. The food and game stalls near Yuzawa Municipality Hall were illuminated. Hubby climbed a nearby hill and took photos of the brightly lit inukko concourse from the top of the hill. Hubby and I took photos of us in front of the three majestic odokko shrine halls located at the entrance of the concourse. Then we walked through various lanes at the concourse and enjoyed the brightly lit rows and rows of odokko halls and huge inukko snow dogs sculpted in front of each hall. At night the brightly lit halls and dogs gave the whole park a magical wondrous feeling and created an aura of mystery. We prayed once again at the altar of mystically luminous Inukko Jinja shrine. After enjoying the night view of inukko concourse for about 30 minutes, we left the concourse.
Food and games stalls
Hubby standing in front of one of the odokko shrines
I am standing in front of another odokko shrine hall
Rows of odokko halls and snow dogs
Another view of rows of odokko halls and snow dogs
Wonderfully lit odokko hall and snow dogs
I am standing in front of Inukko Jinja shrine at night time
I am standing at one of the sides of the Jinja shrine
Next, we went to odokko shrine hall erected in front of the Municipality building where Taiko drum performance was held by a group named ‘Yuzawa Nanke Satake Daiko’ from 7 pm. There was a perfect musical harmony of flute, conch shell and Taiko drums, and we enjoyed the performance thoroughly. I compiled a short video of the performance.
A compiled video of Taiko drum performance
At about 7.30 pm, we went to the grounds where snow-volleyball competition was held earlier in the day. Winter fireworks display was held at the festival site and we got a nice view of the fireworks from the ground. I compiled a short video of the wonderful display of the fireworks.
A compiled video of winter-fireworks festival at Inukko matsuri
At about 8.15 pm, we left the festival site and walked back to the car parking area. It took us about two hours to return back home. We were tired but had a lot of fun at Inukko matsuri festival.
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