Musical Festival Floats of Japan

Based on more than thirty years’ fieldwork, this book aims to increase the understanding of music played on elaborate wooden floats which form vital components in Japanese festivals with a religious dimension. The focus is on float-festivals in Aichi prefecture in central Japan; but wider perspectives, international as well as national, also come into play.
Float-festivals date back several centuries. A good deal of modernization has taken place from the mid-twentieth century onwards, but historical roots and connections are still discernible, and these distinctive festivals and their music remain of great significance to many communities in modern Japan.