During
the 10-day holiday, we had Hamamatsu Festival from May 3 to 5. It originated about
450 years ago when a big kite was flown to celebrate the birth of the firstborn
son of the lord of Hikuma Castle (a castle that existed before Hamamatsu
Castle). One of the main features of Hamamatsu Festival is kite-flying battles
that take place by Nakagajima Sand Dunes.
On
May 5, I went to the kite field by a direct shuttle bus that left from near Act
City. It took about 15 minutes to get to the bus stop near Hamamatsu Festival
Pavilion. From there, I walked about 10 minutes to the kite field. This year,
there were more than 170 neighborhoods participating in kite flying. Each neighborhood
had its own kite with a large mark painted on it. When I got there, they were
just flying kites, and I couldn’t see any battles in which people tried to cut
the thread of a kite of other neighborhood by friction. For visitors who didn’t
wear the traditional costume for the festival, spectators’ seats were provided
free of charge. So, I took a seat to watch kites easily.
In
the festival, children also play an important role. In addition to battles,
each neighborhood fly hatsudako or first kites to celebrate the births of
firstborn children. Previously, it was done for only firstborn
sons, but these days, many parents prepare kites even for their daughters. Since
Hamamatsu Festival is not a religious festival, it may be easy to make changes flexibly
according to the times.
While
I was sitting on the seat, a neighborhood group came and stopped in front of
us. They welcomed spectators by playing the bugle. In the festival, children
performed actively as buglers who set the mood for the festival.
In
front of us, there was another neighborhood group trying many times to fly
their kite. It was exciting to see the kite flying rapidly into the air. But it
fell soon. It was difficult to take a picture of a flying kite, so I left the spectator
seat to go to the opposite side of the field.
Flying
kites looked like living things, with their long tails moving in the wind.
And
how I wished I was a good photographer to show such kites as they were!
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