Johana Hikiyama Hall

Johana Hikiyama Hall in Nanto documents the annual May 4 and 5 festival at Johana Shinmeigu Shrine, where six six-meter-tall lacquered floats carrying statues of guardian deities are wheeled through the streets by groups of men. The large zelkova-wood wheels produce a distinctive screech said to ward off evil spirits. The festival took its current form in the early 18th century when the silk-trading town looked to its shrine for economic recovery. Musical iori-yatai floats styled after Kyoto ochaya teahouses follow the procession with musicians playing flutes and shamisen. In the evening the floats are lit by lanterns. The festival is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list as part of Japan's float festival tradition. The statues can be viewed on the eve of May 5 at their yamayado homes.