Tokyo's triennial water festival soaks shrine bearers in the streets
Tokyo's eastern districts hosted the once-every-three-years Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri on 16 August, with crowds dousing portable shrine carriers using buckets, hoses and water pistols. The centuries-old festival also carries a tragic chapter in its history.
Eastern Tokyo turned into the scene of a mass water fight on Sunday, 16 August, as the triennial Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri festival took place. Spectators armed with buckets, garden hoses and water pistols drenched participants who carried portable shrines, known as mikoshi, along an eight-kilometre route through the city.
Adding to the soaking, firefighters joined in by spraying the shrine bearers with their own hoses as the procession passed. This year's main event involved around 25,000 people carrying a total of 54 mikoshi.
Roots stretching back to the 17th century
The festival traces its origins to 1642, a time when Tokyo was still called Edo. Participants say taking part requires years of preparation and that the tradition brings together people from a wide range of social backgrounds.
A tragic chapter
The festival's long history is not without sorrow. In 1807, the Eitai Bridge collapsed under the weight of crowds gathered to watch the procession, killing nearly 1,500 people in one of the event's darkest moments.
