The century-old Japanese Great Mikoshi makes its first-ever Taiwan appearance, with exciting mikoshi collisions energizing the Beitou Hot Spring Festival

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

The 300-year-old mikoshi collision ceremony from Matsuyama, Japan, unfolds today and tomorrow in Beitou, drawing crowds. Today’s (the 5th) event attracted 30,000 to 40,000 spectators, who eagerly took out their cameras to capture this rare spectacle. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Japan’s “Matsuyama Great Mikoshi – Dōgo Hachimachi Men’s Festival Event” makes its overseas debut. The two participating teams, the “Kitakotan Great Mikoshi Federation” and the “Mochida Federation Great Mikoshi,” brought two mikoshi measuring 160, 180, and 180 cm in length, width, and height respectively, with 8-meter-long handles. The mikoshi bodies are made of solid wood, weighing about 600–700 kg each, with an estimated cost of 6 to 7 million Japanese yen per unit. Each mikoshi is carried by around 90 people. The moment of collision is breathtaking, and the intense, unyielding rivalry between the two sides during the clashes is both thrilling and unforgettable.

This afternoon, the men’s festival officially kicked off. The great mikoshi procession started from Guangming Road in front of Beitou Shuimei Hot Spring Club, proceeding along Daye Road and Beitou Park to the square in front of Beitou Metro Station. During the street parade, the mikoshi carriers vigorously shook the mikoshi up, down, left, and right to awaken its spirit—a ritual called “soul-awakening” that prays for bountiful harvests, prosperous business, and regional industrial development. Upon reaching the Beitou Metro Station square, both teams engaged in two intense rounds of mikoshi collisions. Tomorrow (the 6th) at 10 a.m., another great mikoshi collision ceremony will be held, and the public is welcome to watch at Beitou Metro Station.