Kanazawa Biyori, a regional media platform rooted in Hokuriku, is committed to sharing the living culture of this region with a broader audience — not only its celebrated landmarks, but the traditions that continue to pulse through everyday life. The Seihakusai Festival is one such tradition: vital, visceral and unmistakably Noto.
Towering Floats, Creaking Wheels and the Roar of the Crowd
Designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, the Hikiyama ritual of the Seihakusai Festival ranks among the most magnificent celebrations in Noto. Each May, as fresh green leaves emerge, the festival unfolds around Ōtokonushi Shrine — known locally as Sannō Shrine in the city of Nanao.
At its heart are the Dekayama: enormous wooden floats standing approximately 12 metres tall and weighing up to 20 tons. These are not merely parade floats — they are moving monuments, pulled through narrow streets with a force and presence that stops you in your tracks.
The defining moment is the tsujimawashi, where each Dekayama is turned at a street corner, its wheels — nearly two metres in diameter — grinding and creaking against the pavement in a display of raw power and precision. Equally commanding is the role of the tekoshū, who guides the float’s direction using long levers with a mastery passed down across generations. Above it all rises the voice of the kiyarishū, whose traditional chants carry the procession forward, while the crowd’s cries of “Wasshoi!” and “Enya!” fill the streets with rhythm and life.
Three Days That Transform a City
From May 3 to 5, the centre of Nanao belonged entirely to the festival. On May 4, the three Dekayama — from Kajimachi, Fuchumachi and Uomachi — converge at Ōtokonushi Shrine in a gathering of breathtaking scale. On May 5, they reassembled near Noto Shokusai Market and Sentai Bridge, offering another unmissable moment for visitors.
On the evening of May 2, ahead of the main festivities, the Ningyōmi took place: the ornate dolls that adorn each float are displayed in homes throughout the festival districts, offering an intimate glimpse into the extraordinary craftsmanship that defines this celebration.
A Symbol of Renewal and an Invitation
Today, the Seihakusai Festival carries special meaning as a symbol of Noto’s recovery and resilience. Visitors are welcomed not as spectators alone, but as participants — invited to take the ropes and help pull the Dekayama through the streets themselves.
Nearby Noto Shokusai Market and Notojima Aquarium have also resumed operations, making the festival a natural centrepiece for Golden Week travel in the region.
Kanazawa Biyori shares this festival as part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying the voices and vitality of local communities — because traditions like Seihakusai are not relics of the past, but the living proof that Noto endures.