Danjiri matsuri: Inside the wild world of Osaka’s float festivals
CNNCNN — To a din of cheering crowds, rhythmic chanting and taiko drums, hundreds of people haul massive wooden floats through the streets of Osaka — while running as fast as they can. This chaotic spectacle is one of the Japanese prefecture’s “danjiri matsuri,” or float festivals. They can even be deadly, especially for those who ride on top of the moving danjiri, known as “daikugata.” “Danjiri sometimes fall over or collide, and I’ve seen daikugata fall,” says Shinya Ogura, a six-time danjiri rider at one such festival in Osaka’s Otori region. “I’m constantly trying to find ways to capture the cool poses of the sculptures, so that they look as if they’re about to start moving.” Maeda says the process of making a bespoke danjiri can take five years. Kazuma Nakao, who has participated in Otori’s danjiri festival for over 40 years, says there aren’t enough physically-able people required to pull their float.
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