《10》Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Part.3)... Separate into Kazari-Yamakasa and Kaki-Yamakasa in the Meiji era
- Nowadays, Kazari-Yamakasa and Kaki-Yamakasa are different, but in the past, there was only one type of Yamakasa. A folding screen picture left at Kushida Shrine shows that Yamakasa, which is similar to the current Kazari-Yamakasa, was carried on the shoulder. (The oldest photo of Yamakasa shows a Yamakasa of about 16 meters in height, much higher than the roof of the second floor.)
- In 1898, during the Meiji era (1868-1912), Yamakasa seems to have been divided into two types: " Kazari-Yamakasa," which is taller and for viewing, and " Kaki-Yamakasa," which is shorter. In the later years, electric lines were installed 5 meters above the ground due to the construction of streetcars, and taller Yamakasa floats were no longer carried.
- Currently, there is only one exception to what is known as "running Kazari-Yamakasa" since 1964. This is the 8th Yamakasa on Kamikawabata Street. At the Kushida-iri event, when the 12-meter-long Yamakasa float goes around the Kiyomichi (the road through which the Yamakasa float passes), the audience cheers loudly. /
博多祇園山笠(その3)…明治時代に飾り山笠と舁き山笠に分離
- 今でこそ飾り山笠と舁き山笠は別物ですが、むかしはひと種類でした。櫛田神社に残る屏風絵などを見ると、現在の飾り山笠に近い大きな山笠が舁かれていたことが分かります。(山笠最古の写真には、2階の屋根よりはるかに高い 約16メートルの山笠が写っています。)
- 明治時代の1898年になって背の高い観賞用の「飾り山笠」と低い「舁き山笠」に分かれたようです。その後、路面電車が敷設されて地上5メートルに電線が張られ、なおさら高い山笠は舁げなくなりました。
- 現在は1964年以来、例外的に唯一「走る飾り山笠」といわれるものがあります。それが「上川端通り」の飾り山笠(8番目の山笠)です。櫛田入りでは約12メートルもある山笠が清道(山笠が通る道)を巡ると観客からひときわ歓声が上がります。