Hakata Gion Yamakasa Exhibition - 25 (Feature Exhibition, June 18 - Aug 16 2026)

 

Hakata Gion Yamakasa Exhibition - 25

Period: Thursday, June 18th ～ Sunday, August 16th, 2026

Venue: Feature Exhibition Room 1

Opening Hours: 9:30am - 5:30pm (last admission: 5:00pm)

Closed: Mondays

Charge: 

・Adults: 200yen

        ・High school and University students: 150yen
　         (No charge for Junior High School Students and younger)

Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, hosted yearly by Kushida Shrine (Hakata-ward, Fukuoka City) from July 1^st through 15^th, is the most renowned summer festival in Fukuoka.

Designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1979, Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival was also registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. The splendidly decorated Yamakasa floats called Kazariyama are about 15 meters tall and for display purposes only. They can be found at multiple locations in the city during the festival. Kakiyama are the Yamakasa floats that are actually used for racing, 7 of them race through the streets of Hakata from July 10^th onwards. When it comes to its decoration, each Yamakasa float is assigned with a different theme every year, and is decorated with dolls crafted by Hakata doll artists.

Going along with the Yamakasa events schedule, we hold Hakata Gion Yamakasa exhibition almost every year at the Fukuoka City Museum. This year we shall introduce the magnificent Hakata Gion Yamakasa in the Edo period (1603 – 1868) through folding screens, Ema (wooden wishing plaques) and design drawings.

     The folding screen of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa procession (shown above) is known as the oldest surviving folding screen of Hakata Gion Yamakasa, presumably portraying the festival held in 1686. It describes how people in the early Edo period prepared Hakata Gion Yamakasa as well as how they raced the Yamakasa which was much taller than the surrounding buildings.  

Other exhibits include the Hakata Gion Yamakasa design drawings whose theme referred to some of the most influential histrocal figures in Japan such as Minamoto Yoshitsune and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. These belonged to the Kuroda clan, feudal lords of the Fukuoka Domain.