Kochi’s “YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival” Participates in Taiwan Lantern Festival for the Third Time; Award-Winning Group Visits Taiwan for the First Time

▲ The “Asahi Foods” YOSAKOI team, which has won the grand prize at the Kochi YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival for 10 consecutive years, will perform in Taiwan for the first time. (Photo provided by the Tourism Policy Division, Tourism Promotion Department, Kochi Prefecture)

Reported by Chen Rui-Zhong / Taipei

The “2014 Taiwan Lantern Festival,” held in Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County, will begin trial lighting on February 7 and officially illuminate the main lantern “Soaring Dragon Colt” on February 14. In addition to the intricately designed lanterns of the Taiwan Lantern Festival itself, the YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival from Kochi, Japan, will participate for the third consecutive year to help more Taiwanese learn about Kochi. According to the Tourism Promotion Department of Kochi Prefecture, this year the performance will feature the “HONIYA” team, which has 150 dancers,Asahi Foods”—a YOSAKOI team that has been active for over 40 years—representing the region.

“HONIYA” combines traditional Japanese cultural elements with a fusion of Western and Japanese costumes, making it a highlight of the YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival.

In addition, the “Asahi Foods” YOSAKOI team, which has won the grand prize at the Kochi YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival for ten consecutive years, has represented Kochi multiple times in festivals across Japan and even on the world stage. This year marks their first performance in Taiwan, where they will bring their spectacular show to Taiwanese audiences.

▲ Using wooden clappers and festival costumes, the YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival is one of Kochi’s most iconic events. (Photo provided by the Tourism Policy Division, Tourism Promotion Department, Kochi Prefecture)

Introduction to the YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival:
The YOSAKOI Night Parade Festival is a large-scale event held over four days—August 9 (pre-festival), 10 and 11 (main festival), and 12 (post-festival)—in downtown Kochi. Approximately 18,000 participants dress in elaborate festival costumes and use essential performance props such as “naruko clappers” and “fans” to dance energetically at 16 different locations throughout the city.

The festival began in 1954 to create a community-wide event that would also help boost local shopping streets. At the time, the neighboring prefecture of Tokushima already had the Awa Odori (Awa Dance Festival), so to develop a festival that could rival it, professional Japanese dancers were invited to design the performances. They used “naruko clappers,” tools traditionally used by Kochi farmers to scare birds away from their fields, as props. Over time, the uniquely creative people of Kochi developed a wide variety of costumes and dance moves, with highly flexible musical styles, resulting in lively and passionate performances. (The above content is excerpted from the website of the Tourism Policy Division, Tourism Promotion Department, Kochi Prefecture)