Around two hundred bamboo poles five to twelve metres long, bearing twenty-four or forty-six lanterns, topped with gohei, and weighing up to fifty kilograms, are carried through the streets by night on the palms, foreheads, shoulders, or lower backs of the celebrants.

The Akita Kantō festival was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1980.

[2][3][4][5] This festival originated from Neburi Nagashi which was held for ridding illness and maliciousness in summer.

"Yuki no huru michi (The road where it snows)" written by Soan Tsumura in 1789 is regarded as the oldest document which described Neburi Nagashi.

It describes that Neburi Nagashi was held on 6 July of the lunar calendar and introduced as the original tradition of Akita.

Also, Neburi Nagashi was an annual event to pray for good harvests and artistic progress.

In the Neburi Nagashi around Akita city, people decorated silk trees and bamboo grasses with strips of paper on which they had written their wishes.

[6] However, the number of Kanto, which had been 50 in 1900, had dramatically decreased due to changes of festival’s schedule and its site.

Then, the festival’s schedule changed to the lunar calendar again to avoid the rainy season and the number of visitors increased.

The bamboo added to lengthen Oyatake to extend the height of Kanto during a performance is called "Tsugidake".

There are 5 categories of Myogi; Nagashi, Hirate (hand), Koshi (hip), Kata (shoulder) and Hitai (forehead).

"[6] Following this aim, performers maintain the unification and systemization of Kanto festival by upgrading their skills.

Myogikai consists of team and individual competitions and performers who clear the preliminary can reach the final.

Although both of them are judged in different ways, they compete in accuracy of skills, beauty of the posture and stability of Kanto.