Karatsu Kunchi Float Exhibition Hall

Fourteen floats of lacquer and gold, UNESCO-listed since 2016, parade from 2 to 4 November every year.

In the hall, all fourteen floats of the autumn procession are lined up at close quarters: red and black lions, helmets, sea bream, winged dragons, each built with the ikkanbari technique (layers of paper and lacquer over a wooden core) by a neighbourhood of Karatsu's historic centre. The oldest, the red lion of Katachō, is traced back to a pilgrimage to Ise in the late nineteenth century, during which the craftsman saw Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and wanted to bring something of it home.

Exhibition hall for the fourteen floats (曳山) carried in procession at Karatsu Kunchi, the autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine (2–4 November). The event has been an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property since 28 January 1980 and, since 2016, part of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage ‘Yama, Hoko, Yatai Gyōji’ (山・鉾・屋台行事). ⚠️ Since 1 October 2021 the floats have been displayed in a TEMPORARY venue (the former multi-purpose hall of the Furusato Kaikan Alpino, in front of Karatsu Station) while the original hall next to Karatsu Shrine is rebuilt; completion is announced for spring 2027, and whoever takes up this entry after that date must re-verify the address and coordinates, not copy them over.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:40). Admission 310 yen adults, 150 yen students, free for preschool children, 20% discount for groups of 20+. Five minutes on foot from JR Karatsu Station.

🚉 Karatsu · 3 min walk

Sources: karatsu-kankou.jp · online.bunka.go.jp

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