HAKATA DONTAKU

The 'dontaku' matsuri at Hakata (Fukuoka, northern Kyushu). Dontaku is a corruption of the Dutch Zontag or Sunday, explained by the fact that Hakata is not far from Nagasaki where the Dutch maintained a trading station throughout theEdoperiod when Japan was otherwise a 'closed country' (sakoku) for Europeans. The parade is not connected with a shrine and originated as a new year's procession of merchants visiting the local feudal lord, with festival elements shared by manyshogatsutraditions. It includes a parade called matsubayashi (pine-forest) of children and adults in traditional costumes led by three riders on horseback impersonating three of the well-knownshichi-fuku-jin(seven gods of good luck), namely fuku-no-kami (Fukurokuju),EbisuandDaikoku.