Uneme Festival
The hot humid summer ironically seems to bring with it a multitude of energetic festivals nationwide. Fukushima Prefecture without exception started off this year’s celebrations with the Uneme Festival in Koriyama, and with over 8,000 participants a little (?) rain and a lot of thunder boding as back round sound effects was not going to bring these festival goers down.
The Uneme Festival, held annually in Koriyama City from August 2 to 4, originated from the Uneme folk tale of the Nara period (710-794). As the tale has it, an Uneme or “young court waitress of ancient Japan” had to leave her one and only true love for the sake of her town (Koriyama), and become a maid for the Emperor of the time. No matter how hard she tried though she could not forget her true love she had left behind. One day while the Emperor was not looking she crept out of the courts and ran back to her home.
She was only to run into grief though as waiting for her at home were the old hard stares of her former friends and neighbors and tragically the lifeless body of her now former lover.
To liven up this tragic tale, Uneme’s were famous for their dancing, thus this festival was centered on their cheerful dancing and is now formed of individual groups lead by the Uneme representatives (five young ladies dressed in traditional garb) all lining the streets and dancing in succession. It would appear that everyone who is anyone was participating in the three-day festivities. Various organizations were there, decked out in their company’s specially designed yukata (summer kimono). Most came bearing gifts for the children, such as balloons and sweets advertising their company logos. A lot of time and energy appeared to have gone into the event on all sides.
Having live singers as opposed to a scratchy prerecorded tape was also a highlight of the celebrations. Although, at various stages even those singers with the strongest of voices were drowned out by groups of dancers in the procession with their own music, loud instruments and enthusiastic chanting.
It is reassuring to see such patronage from all corners of the community as, without such ardent interest such festivals would be lost in the modernity of the 21st Century.
