The festival is famous for the Kakiyama, that weigh around one ton and are carried around the city as an act of float-racing.

[1][2][3] The origin of the festival is believed to date back to 1241, when the founder of Joten-ji temple, monk Enni had people carry him around the town on a float, while praying in order to get rid of the plague which is considered to have been successful.

[4] The sound of the Yamakasa has also been selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.

The Kakiyama are the smaller, carryable floats, that are raced through the town, while the Kazariyama are stationary floats, that are built up to 13 metres high and often depict historic or mythical events of Japanese culture.

The districts are Higashi-nagare, Nakasu-nagare, Nishi-nagare, Chiyo-nagare, Ebisu-nagare, Doi-nagare and Daikoku-nagare.