Based on more than thirty years’ fieldwork, this book aims to increase the understanding of music played on elaborate wooden floats which form vital components in Japanese festivals with a religious dimension. The focus is on float-festivals in Aichi prefecture in central Japan; but wider perspectives, international as well as national, also come into play.
Float-festivals date back several centuries. A good deal of modernization has taken place from the mid-twentieth century onwards, but historical roots and connections are still discernible, and these distinctive festivals and their music remain of great significance to many communities in modern Japan.