Hamamatsu Festival showcases vibrant kites, colorful floats and lively parades
By Abhijit Sen
The Hamamatsu Festival is a lively annual event held in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka. It takes place from May 3 – 5. This festival has a history of over 450 years. It features beautiful kites and colorful floats. It also shows the strong community spirit among the townspeople.
Kite battles have become a popular highlight of the festival.
Image: PIXTA/ 和音
The festival originates in the Eiroku era (1558-1569) and is documented in the Hamamatsu Castle Chronicle, written by Sakai Masamune. It began when Iio Buzennokami, the lord of Hikuma Castle, celebrated the birth of his son by flying a kite. This event started a cherished local tradition that honors children through the art of flying kites.
Over the years, residents of Hamamatsu have embraced this tradition, and kite battles have become a popular highlight of the festival. Kite flying became popular in towns like Sagara and Yokosuka during the Edo and Meiji periods. Hamamatsu was known for its kite battles, especially at Wajiyama parade ground, from 1919 until just before World War II.
After the war, the festival revived with the first post-war kite battle in 1948 at Nakatajima dunes, involving 40 to 50 towns. By 1950, participation had increased, prompting the formation of the Hamamatsu Festival Headquarters to organize the event.
Festival Highlights
As night falls, visitors can enjoy a dazzling parade.
Image: PIXTA/hige
Today, over 170 towns participate in the Hamamatsu Festival, drawing approximately 2 million visitors annually. The festival includes tremendous kite battles at the Nakatajima Sand Dunes during the day. Each participating community has unique kite designs that often incorporate local symbols or names. These designs are also featured on the happi, traditional light coats worn by the festival teams.
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