Yatsushiro Myōken Festival, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Festivals where local people come together to carry and pull floats, such as yama and kasa floats, and parade through the streets are called “Yama, Hoko, and Yatai float festivals” and are a wish for peace in the local community and to ward off disasters. It is said that there are about 1,500 such festivals around Japan, known by various names and in different forms, including hikiyama, yamahoko, kakiyama, and kasaboko.
Thirty-three festivals around Japan that are designated as important intangible folk-cultural properties of the country were registered as a “UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage” in 2016.
In Kyushu, five festivals have been registered, including the Hakata Gion Yamakasa and Tobata Gion Oyamagasa in Fukuoka Prefecture, Karatsu Kunchi Hikiyama festival in Saga Prefecture, and the Hita Gion Hikiyama festival in Oita Prefecture, in addition to the Yatsushiro Myōken Festival.
Although they are under the same UNESCO program, the Intangible Cultural Heritage program protects intangible cultural heritages, such as folk cultural heritages and intangible traditions, while the World Heritage protects tangible heritages, such as buildings.
