2008 KUNCHI Schedule Tuesday Wednesday Thursday October 7 October 8 October 9 S t a r t T i m e s Suwa 7:00 am 8:20 am Nagasaki Shrine 4:00 pm Kokaido 8:00 am 8:10 am Plaza 5:00 pm Kunchi Otabisho 9:10 am 7:00 am Yasaka 7:00 am Shrine English Language Guide Performance Order ()each town's performance lasts approximately 30 minutes １ ShinbashiNishifurukawa Enokizu machimachi machi ２ Suwa Nigiwai Shinbashi machi machi machi ３ Shindaiku Kanaya Suwa Streetcar Line Information machi machi machi No. Color Terminal Stations ４ Kanaya Shindaiku Nishifurukawa 1 ● Akasako－ Shokakujishita machi machi machi 3 ● Akasako－ Hotarujyaya ５ Enokizu Shinbashi Nigiwai 4 ● Shokakujishita－ Hotarujyaya machi machi machi 5 ● Ishibashi－ Hotarujyaya th th ６ Nishifurukawa Enokizu Kanaya October 7 - 9 machi machi machi Nearest Stops to Kunchi Venues ７ Nigiwai Suwa Shindaiku and Other Sightseeing Places machi machi machi Line(s) Stop Name* Location What is "Kunchi"? ●●● Suwajinja-Mae Suwa Shrine Kunchi comes from the ancient custom of holding a Riding the Streetcars ●●● Kokaido-Mae Kokaido Plaza celebration on the ninth day of the ninth month of Every trip on a streetcar, regardless of distance, costs ● Ohato Otabisho / you-me-saito mall the lunar calendar, which was considered a lucky exactly 100 yen. Exit at the front of the streetcar ●● Shokakuji-Shita Yasaka Shrine day. The ninth day is pronounced "ku nichi", which and drop your money in the collection box as you ●● Kankodori Hama-no-machi outdoor mall gradually changed into "kunchi" in Nagasaki, and leave. It is possible to transfer between lines, but ● Oura Tenshudo Glover Garden / Oura Church came to mean a celebration holiday. Suwa Shrine only between the blue and green lines at the Shita was built in 1624. The Nagasaki Kunchi Festival Tsukimachi stop. To do so, as you exit at ● Dejima historic Dejima Island began ten years later, and now has a history of more Tsukimachi, say to the driver, "Norikae desu." , and ●● Matsuyama Peace Park / Atomic Bomb than 370 years. pay the fare as usual. The driver will give you a Machi Museum / Urakami Cathedral transfer ticket. Then switch to the other line and *Not all stops are labelled on the above map. give the driver the transfer ticket when you get off at All photos furnished by: created and distributed by the students of your destination. Nagasaki Minami High School More than 40 of Nagasaki city's historic towns perform at the festival, alternating with each other in a seven-year ① Shindaiku-machi ① Nigiwai-machi cycle. The performances are considered to be an offering to ② Shibu; Hikidanjiri ② Tairyo maniwai thedeityofSuwaShrine, calledUjigamisama . Thisyear's Ebisu-bune performing towns (calledodoricho ) are: ③ Young women wearinghakama (long, ③ Nigiwai town had ① Kanaya-machi pleated skirts worn p e r f o r m e d a ② Hon-odori over a kimono) dance hon-odori dance until elegantly to the song "Shukuga no uta" (song of 1986, when it was ③ Six dancers perform celebration). And men bravely and energetically move replaced with the current offering so that many of the a classical-style around a boat calledhikidanjiri , while lively classical young people who live in the town could take part in the hon-odori dance, Japanese music is played. The boat's roof is modelled festival. The town's offering is a celebration of a good c a l l e d after Kasuga Shrine in Nara. haul of fish. The main boat, calledEbisu , is 4.5 meters "",秋晴勢獅子諏訪祭日 high and weighs 4 tons. There are also two smaller boats. whose name translates as "clear autumn brave lion Suwa The highlight is the dynamic pulling and turning of the festival day dance". Four of the six dancers quickly ① Suwa-machi Ebisu. transform themselves into two brave lions in the middle of ② Ja-odori the dance, a highlight of the performance. Children also join the dancing, signing a song whose lyrics humorously ③ Suwa town's ① Shinbashi-machi explain the origin of the town's name. offering is the ja-odori ② Oranda-manzai; (dragon dance), which Hon-odori was first presented in 1886. The dragon is controlled by ① Nishifurukawa- eleven people, calledjakata . Jakata are periodically ③ Oranda-manzai is machi switched out with replacement handlers in the blink of an a dance that was ② Yagura-daiko; eye. The "twin dragon dance", in which a blue and white created in 1933, Hon-odori dragon each pursue a golden ball is the epitome of Kunchi. and tells the story of Dutchmen coming to Nagasaki. The town'skasaboko is decorated with embroidery of a (Oranda is Japanese for "Holland".) Dancers representing ③ Ayagura-daiko is a white fox. Dutchmen carry fans or drums. The highlight is a scene drum that was placed in which they move comically as they meet fourgeisha . on top of an arms storehouse and beat to signal the start and This performance is a fixture at Kunchi, performed by end of a sumo wrestling event. In the Edo period, in ① Enokizu-machi other towns as well. Kyushu, the sumo tour was held only in Nagasaki. Because ② Kawabune ------Nishifurukawa town, which organized this tour, had a strong What is akasaboko ? link with sumo, they choseyagura-daiko as their main ③ Enokizu town will Kunchi offering, performing it for the first time in 1821. present the oldest Eachodoricho 's performance begins with the dance of a This year marks the town's first Kunchi performance in 14 kawabune (riverboat), kasaboko: a huge, parasol-like object. The kasaboko has a years. The town will also present a sumo folk song, bow made in 1949. With placard with the town's name, decorations representing the and arrow exhibition, and ahon-odori traditional dance. various kinds and sizes of drums playing a melodic town placed on top, and a veil draped all around the sides. rhythm, the boat is repeatedly brought forward and back Eachkasaboko weighs 130-150 kg, and is carried on the ------powerfully. Children who appear dressed as fishermen are shoulders of one person inside. This person can't see Legend: ①Odoricho (Performing town) a highlight of the performance. The performance is around him, so a second person, thekasaboko-toryo , guides ②Performance ③Performance Description exciting and showy and will charm the audience. him by using a small flag.