One of Japan’s Most Eye-catching Festival Floats: Yokkaichi City’s Onyudo Float

Written by Lisa Wallin

Yokkaichi City is a port city in northern Mie Prefecture, facing Ise Bay to the east and the Suzuka Mountains to the west. It’s famous for its mouthwatering tonteki (pork steak) and Yokkaichi Festival, as well as a number of tangible and intangible cultural assets including the float. One of the event’s main draws is the Onyudo, which is a giant kimono-clad karakuri ningyo (karakuri mechanical puppet). Onyudo stands on a 1.8-meter-high float and is 4.5 meters high, until he stretches his neck up an impressive 2.7 meters, making him 9 meters tall! His arms swing back and forth as his neck bends and his tongue sticks out, creating a fearsome appearance. He’s said to be the largest karakuri puppet in Japan. Generally, karakuri ningyo are traditional Japanese “wind-up” dolls, but Onyudo started with another purpose…

It’s said that Onyudo was constructed around 1805 in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, by a father and son team of karakuri doll makers, Jusaburo and Tokichi Takeda. No one is quite sure how he ended up in Yokkaichi, but there are records that show people of the Okeno Town holding yokai monster and ghost costume parades. There were apparently more floats like Onyudo in Yokkaichi, but many were burned in fires during World War II.
One local legend says that the reason Onyudo was made was to protect the residents of Okeno Town. A giant raccoon dog had moved into a soy sauce warehouse and was causing trouble by destroying crops and scaring locals. Onyudo was made in an attempt to scare the raccoon dog away, but the raccoon dog was bigger and not bothered. So they made Onyudo’s neck longer. As he waved his arms and wiggled his neck, he finally scared the raccoon dog away.

Onyudo is controlled by a group of six puppeteers, who move his parts to the rhythm of gongs and drums. Because the puppet is mainly made of wooden parts and rope pulleys, it is very difficult to control him and make him move smoothly. His operation takes a lot of skill and practice, which is why the Onyudo Hozonkai (Onyudo Float Preservation Association) works hard to keep the tradition alive. Also, because the float and the puppet are over 200 years old, maintaining the mechanisms and various parts is becoming increasingly challenging. Onyudo’s neck extension is supported by two old baleens — each one about three meters long — taken from right whales. Due to whale conservation efforts, it is not possible to replace the baleens with new ones. Instead, a spring manufacturer in Osaka has helped develop a replacement spring for Onyudo’s neck, free of charge. This means that the tradition of Onyudo can continue to live on and remain a symbol of Yokkaichi City for many years to come.

If you find Onyudo a little scary, don’t worry! His son, Konyudo-kun is much smaller and a very charming character. He is the official mascot of Yokkaichi City and you’ll find pictures of him all around the area. Konyudo-kun is six years old, loves to dance and he also enjoys surprising people. It is said that if you touch his tongue and make a wish for what you want to develop or improve, your wish may come true. You can see what Konyudo-kun is up to on his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter — he updates both regularly.
 Also, keep a look out for Chu-nyudo-san when you visit Yokkaichi City. He’s a distant relative, made by local high school students. You’ll find him somewhere on the shopping street just outside Yokkaichi Station.

When: The first Sunday of August, every year (canceled in 2021)
Where: All across Yokkaichi City
More info:https://kankou43yokkaichi.com/matsuri/