NAGASAKI KUNCHI

Autumn festival (also known as o-kunchi or o-suwa matsuri) of theSuwajinja, Nagasaki which involves also themikoshiof other major Nagasaki shrines. It is held from October 7-9th. Kunchi is a local dialect word meaning autumn festival. The rites include a rapid procession of three mikoshi which are carried by teams of about 50 men down a flight of 73 steps from the Suwa jinja to thetoriibelow then paraded round the town, occasionally being thrown up and caught. There are dances of various kinds including 'Oranda Manzai' ('Dutch comics'), geisha performances and an unusual ja-odori or Chinese snake dance resembling ashishi-mai, in which a dragon-headed snake chasing atamais manipulated on poles by six men. Nagasaki was a centre of foreign trade and before theMeijirestoration Dutch and Chinese elements played a more prominent role in the festival, which dates from the seventeenth century.

See also Karatsu kunchi.