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The frames used for the Akita Kantō Matsuri are festooned with 10,000 candlelit lanterns. (© Haga Library)
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The parade stretches more than 800 meters along the city’s main street. (© Haga Library)
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Gohei from the Hachiman Akita Shrine stream from the lantern-decorated frames. (© Haga Library)
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There are four types of kantō, ranging in length from 5 to 12 meters and weighing between 5 and 50 kilograms. Children also perform with smaller kantō. (© Haga Library)
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The most experienced bearers can handle kantō carrying 46 lanterns as they perform stunts. (© Haga Library)
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Acrobatic stunts are also performed in the daytime, starting on the second day of the festival. (© Haga Library)
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Wooden boats are decorated with countless lanterns, creating a phantasmagorical spectacle. (© Haga Library)
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On the second morning of the festival, the young boys arrive by boat. (© Haga Library)
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The boats are decorated with lanterns arranged in a semi-spherical shape. (© Haga Library)
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By morning, the boats have been transformed into scenes reminiscent of illustrated scrolls. (© Haga Library)
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The festival’s highlight is the offering of the cloth banners at the shrine. (© Haga Library)
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Floats from seven communities parade through the streets. (© Haga Library)
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The young musicians atop the floats play shangiri with large and small drums, flutes, and a small gong. (© Haga Library)
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The floats are paraded through the streets in the daytime, when they can be admired for their gorgeous carvings. (© Haga Library)
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Parishioners carrying torches wait for the festival to begin. (© Haga Library)
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A float carrying musicians is pulled through the street. (© Haga Library)
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The lanterns illuminate the night with shades of crimson. (© Haga Library)
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