Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

[1] "Nebuta" refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called haneto (ハネト) dance around in time with the chant Rasserā (ラッセラー) (shortened dialectal version of "irasshai", calling visitors and customers to watch or join).

The most widely known explanation is that the festival originated from the flutes and taiko that the future early 9th century shōgun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro used to attract the attention of the enemy during a battle in Mutsu Province.

Aterui (阿弖流為), a general from the Tōhoku region, united the Emishi people who had been chased out of their native territory and defeated Ki no Kosami's army of 50,000 at Kitakami River to advance all the way to Fuji, Shizuoka.

Aterui's severed head was shown off to the public, and his family and followers still remaining in the Tōhoku region were forced to dig large holes where they were buried alive.

This event is said to be the origin of Nebuta (written "根蓋" in kanji), as Aterui's followers were sent back to their roots or to the world of the dead (根) with the dirt as a covering (蓋).

Corporations began to sponsor the creation of the floats in the post-war period, and a strong emphasis was placed in expanding local tourism through the festival.

Nebuta floats also grew larger with time, but urban obstacles such as footbridges, power lines, and traffic lights only allowed their width to increase significantly.

The floats often feature images of kabuki actors, various types of gods, and historical or mythical figures from Japanese or Chinese culture, but modern Nebuta floats may also feature famous regional personalities or characters from television shows (especially the annual historical "Taiga drama" aired by NHK).

In the past, the floats started off one at a time from the intersection between National Route 4 and Kenchō street, and continued along the course in the clockwise direction.

An increased number of karasu-zoku (see below) added to this problem, as these vandals tended to gather at the tail-end of the procession to cause disruption.

[3] The costumes are sold in supermarkets and department stores all across the prefecture, and a full set (excluding the flower hat) can be purchased for around 5000 yen.

The nebuta also made its way to Seoul, South Korea for the first time in September, 2005, and to the United States in August, 2007, 2009 and 2010, as part of Nisei Week in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California.