Kuma Hachiman Shrine (隈八幡宮) — home of the Hita Gion 隈八幡宮
Its floats, up to 10 m tall, have paraded since 1665: since 2016 the rite has been UNESCO heritage.
The Kuma Hachiman Shrine (also known as Kuma Yasaka-jinja), in the Kuma district of Hita, is one of the three homes, together with Mameda Yasaka-jinja and Wakamiya-jinja, of the Hita Gion, one of the best-known float festivals in Kyūshū. Nine sumptuous yama, decorated with tapestries and kabuki-themed figurines dating from the Edo and Meiji periods, parade to the sound of gion-bayashi music through the streets of the Kuma and Mameda districts; one of them, the Heisei Yama built in 1990, reaches 10 metres. The origins of the festival go back at least to 1665, with simple palanquins (kakiyama); more elaborate floats appeared around 1714, reaching heights of 12–15 metres in the Bunka-Bunsei period. In 1996 the rite was designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and on 30 November/1 December 2016 it entered UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, in the group of 33 Japanese ‘Yama, Hoko, Yatai’ processions.
Oita
Hita
