The Aoba Festival started years ago; it used to be called the Sendai festival. Upon completion of the Toshogu Shrine shrine, the festival was created and has been celebrated ever since. Toshogu Shrines were built to honor the legendary leader that united the country: Tokugawa Ieyasu. His dynasty of shoguns presided over 250 years of peace and prosperity in Japan, including the rise of a new merchant class and increasing urbanization.
Aoba Shrine was built years later to honor the founder of Sendai, a city in Miyagi prefecture, Date Masamune, also known as the one-eyed dragon. Legend has it that he cut out his smallpox-infected eye as a child because his sensei said an opponent could grab his eye! People slowly started to call the celebration the Aoba Festival after the city founded by the fierce Date Masamune. He has a character based on him in the movie THE LAST SAMURAI and many anime as well. The festival commemorating these complex events of the past is two days long.
Below is a cool video with history of Date Masamune, he is so amazing!!! This video has a different account of Masamune’s eye. In this video a loyal caretaker cut out Masamune’s eye.
Yoi-Matsuri- is day one held on Saturday. Sparrow Dance competitions and performances happen all around town; these are a build-up to the main event on the next day. Stonemasons that built Aoba castle just after 1600 created the sparrow dance, Suzume-Odori is the Japanese name for the sparrow dance. Drums, cymbals, and flutes accompany jumping and spinning while the dancers hold whirling fans that symbolize feathers.
Hon-Matsuri-Samurai with muskets march out on Sunday (day two of the festival) and in between their ranks, the citizens of the town pull wheeled parade floats (yamaboko) with figures from Buddhist and Shinto legends. Sparrow dancers join in the procession. Mock battles are re-enacted at Kotodai Park by Date Bushotai actors so we will always remember the fascinating leaders that played a part in creating today.
Below is a very modern sparrow dance group.
I have not become a travel agent as a side hustle but I am having fantasies of a year long journey around the world going from one dance festival to the next and then exploring the surrounding country side.
https://en.japantravel.com/miyagi/aoba-festival-suzume-odori/13084
Justin Velgus (ジャ
https://en.japantravel.com/miyagi/aoba-festival-parade/12920
Wikipedia
