The Kenketo Festival; Sword Soaring to the Sky and Bird Held Aloft

Kenketo Festival

(Ryūō Town, Shiga Prefecture)

【Furyu（風流）】 refers to a heightened aesthetic consciousness that manifests in creative design, captivating and inspiring people. This sense has developed in the Japanese mind since the Middle Ages. The concept of “Furyu” was intertwined with local festivals, where participants wore flamboyant costumes and play lively sounds with drums, gongs and flutes. The “Furyu” festivals passed down from generation to generation within local communities. Each community has own style of festival that reflect their history and climate. It not only serves as a festival but also plays a significant role in strengthening community bonds.

Ryūō Town in Shiga Prefecture holds the Kenketo Festival every year on May 3rd. It is one of forty-one “Furyu" festivals designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage under the title 'Furyu-odori: Ritual Dances Imbued with People’s Hopes and Prayers.'

The festival begins at a shrine within the community. Boys wear colorful, patterned kimonos (traditional Japanese clothing) and rainbow-striped tight skirts with small bells attached to its hem. Whenever the boys move, the bells tinkle lightly.

Boys line up and enter the shrine grounds, swinging pole swords in rhythm with the steady, simple sound of gongs and drums. One boy steps into the center of a space surrounded by the audience. He performs in front of the shrine's main building, rotating a pole sword around his body. Then, holding the sword with both hands, he passes it under his feet, jumping back and forth over it repeatedly. As he jumps, the audience counts aloud, keeping track of how many times he successfully jumps. When he surpasses 20 jumps, they cheer loudly.

Next, he runs in a circle, jumping over the sword while rotating it under his feet, now out of breath. After taking a breather, he performs the final act, throwing the sword into the sky three times, each time aiming to throw it higher. The audience and the other boys cheer him on, encouraging him to go even higher. Each boy performs this routine to demonstrate his physical abilities.

After all the boys have finished their performances, they move to the next shrine in the town. Along the route, they carry a 5-meter-long pole with a large handmade paper bird perched on top. The pole is heavy, four boys hold it upright, while four supporters help balance it by holding ropes attached to the top from each direction. They move it little by little to the shrine. The four boys lift the base of the pole and try to move it forward, but the pole is so heavy that it easily loses balance. The supporters adjust the tension on the ropes to help keep it steady. However, they often lose control, and the pole falls down. They straighten it again and slowly make their way toward the shrine.

Once they arrive at the next shrine, the boys perform the same routine again. They move from shrine to shrine in the community, repeating the same performance.

The Kenketo Festival is a historic event that has been celebrated for 450 years. While I was watching the festival, the local residents welcomed me with snacks and Japanese sake. Most of the audience was from the community, including parents and grandparents, who knew each boy performing at the festival. They chatted about how quickly the children were growing up and how well they performed at the festival. It’s like the entire community is watching over the growth of its children.