Nagasaki Kunchi - Autumn Grand Festival of Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki City

Nagasaki Kunchi is a traditional festival held annually from October 7th to 9th as the autumn grand festival of Suwa Shrine, the guardian shrine of Nagasaki City. The festival is said to have originated in 1634 when courtesans offered noh chants to Suwa Shrine, and with over 380 years of history, it was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1979. The festival's main attraction is the exotic dedication dances that reflect Nagasaki's long history as an international trading port, with influences from China and the Netherlands. Representative performances include the "Ja Odori" (dragon dance), where dragons chase after jewels, the spectacular rotation of umbrella-shaped floats weighing over 100 kilograms, and a diverse array of float and portable shrine performances shaped like ships. The city's 58 "odori-machi" (dance neighborhoods) are divided into seven groups, with each neighborhood taking turns to perform their dedication once every seven years in a unique rotation system, allowing visitors to enjoy different performances each year. In addition to the dedication dances at the four main venues—Suwa Shrine, Otabisho, Yasaka Shrine, and Chuo Park—the "Niwasaki Mawari" (neighborhood visits) allow spectators to view powerful performances up close, and the sense of unity created when audience members call out "Mottekoi" (encore) is one of the festival's greatest highlights.