A Fantastically Huge and Fun Festival about a Really Obscure Event

The Kanazawa One Million Stones Festival is a massive two day affair (three days if you count the Shinto ceremonies of the drawing of sacred water and offering tea to the resident god) commemorating the entrance of Lord Toshiie Maeda to his newly built Kanazawa castle. This castle apparently took about one million stones to build (or at least felt like it to the workers).

On Saturday there is…

The One Million Stones Festival is a grand affair with many events and activities. The first day of festivities has the Hyakumangoku Parade(百万石行列). Followed by the Hyakumangoku Odori Nagashi (百万石踊り流し) in which traditional dancing teams dressed up yukata dance along the streets from Minami-cho
(南町)to Katamachi and from Korinbo(香林坊)to the Shiinoki-Geihinkan; everybody can join on the spot. Later there is the Hyakumangoku Takigi Noh(百万石薪能); a torchlight Noh performance held at night with taiko drums. Throughout the day at the grounds of Kanazawa castle there are Taiko drum performances, carrying of the portable shrine and performances of the Lion Dance.

On Sunday happens…

On Sunday at Kanazawa Kagekiza Theater (金沢歌劇座) and
Minyo Hana Emaki (民謡華絵巻) you can enjoy many folk songs from Kanazawa(金沢),Ishikawa(石川)and other regions in Japan. At Kanazawa Castle Park the Kaga Hyakumangoku“Bon Shougatsu” (加賀百万石「盆正月) Continues with a Lion Dance performance, Japanese Taiko Drum, and carrying a portable shrine(神輿)and etc…

References

In English

http://100mangoku.net/pdf/68/2019_english.pdf?2019

In Japanese

http://100mangoku.net/pdf/69/20200413.pdf

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