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Overview

祭りの概要

The Hatsuichi Festival is one of the three major Maebashi festivals, along with the Maebashi Festival and Maebashi Tanabata Star Festival. It is held in the center of Maebashi city, Gunma Prefecture, on January 9th every year.

The Hatsuichi Festival originated in the markets held on the 4th and 9th of the month in ancient times. This festival has a history of more than 400 years, starting in 1617, when Sakai Shigetada was the feudal lord.

On the day of the festival, there are many stalls along the streets, which bustle with visitors late into the night. Since many stalls sell Daruma (Dharma) dolls, the festival is also known as the Daruma Market.

The festival opens with a Daruma bonfire (a ritual burning of last year’s Daruma dolls) at Maebashi Hachimangu Shrine. After that, the mikoshi (portable shrine) procession starts from Hachimangu and parades with kiyari song singers, matoi flag bearers, and tengu (legendary creatures) along the streets of stalls. When the mikoshi arrives at the temporary shrine between a large dancing lion and a huge Daruma, a ceremony is performed and saké is served to visitors. A crowd lines up to visit the temporary shrine, which has become a feature of the region.

初市祭りは毎年1月9日、群馬県前橋市の中心部で行われる祭りで、前橋祭り、前橋七夕祭りとともに前橋三大祭りに数えられている。

その昔、毎月4日と9日に開かれていた市がこの祭りの起源で、酒井重忠がこの地域の藩主だった1617年に始まったと伝えられており、400年以上の歴史を持つ。 当日はだるまを中心とした露店が数多く出て、夜遅くまで賑わうため、「だるま市」とも呼ばれている。

祭りは前橋八幡宮でのだるまお焚き上げで始まる。その後、木遣り、纏振り、天狗とともに神輿渡御の行列が八幡宮から出発して、露店で賑わう市中を練り歩く。神輿は大獅子と巨大なだるまに挟まれた仮宮にたどり着くと、仮宮の儀が執り行われ、酒が振舞われる。その後仮宮には多数の参拝客が訪れ、長蛇の列が出来上がるため、地元の名物となっている。

Map & 360 degree view

地図 & 360度動画・写真

Video

動画