2-deck hed:
Safety questions raised again after
2 killed at Osaka ‘danjiri’ festivals
The deaths of two participants performing the highlight of “danjiri” festivals in Osaka Prefecture have again raised not only safety questions but also calls for the abolition of the events.
The festivals are held in various locations in Osaka Prefecture and feature floats that can reach 4 meters in height and weigh several tons.
The floats are hauled through the streets and elicit loud applause when they make sharp turns at narrow corners.
Accidents, including fatal ones, have occurred.
On Oct. 10, at about 1 p.m. in Izumiotsu in the prefecture, a 48-year-old festival participant died after being pinned under the float, Osaka prefectural police said.
A 27-year-old man watching the festival from a sidewalk said the float lost its balance as soon as those hauling it tried to make a right turn. It then overturned.
About 16 kilometers southwest, at around 11 a.m. in Izumisano, a 51-year-old man died after the float collapsed on top of him.
Witnesses said the float suddenly tipped over at a right turn.
“We prepared while taking extra caution, so I feel responsibility that an accident occurred,” said the 59-year-old man in charge of handling the float.
Video of the accident was posted on social media, leading to criticism that a festival that carries the risk of death should be stopped.
But other posts said losing such a tradition would be sad.
Questions were also raised about who is ultimately responsible for safety at these festivals.
The secretariat for the Izumiotsu danjiri festival is located in the city’s board of education, which provides about 500,000 yen ($3,200) a year in subsidies.
But a board official said, “Neighborhood residents are in charge of the festival, and there is very little municipal governments can do about securing safety.”
The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival held near the two cities where the fatal accidents occurred is the most famous for the tricky maneuvers of the floats.
Residents are in charge of the Kishiwada festival, and representatives are selected from the 22 neighborhood associations that take part.
An individual in charge of overall safety is appointed, and the organization as a whole ensures safety.
Hisao Arimoto, associate professor of sociology at Konan Women’s University in Kobe who is knowledgeable about festivals in urban areas, said the corner turns at Kishiwada became faster from around the start of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) in an attempt to attract young men who actually handle the floats.
The faster turns have also spread to surrounding municipalities, but each festival has its own circumstances.
Some do not have the manpower for the sharp turns, leading Arimoto to comment that it may be difficult to seek thorough safety measures in all festivals.
But he noted that social media allows for the almost instantaneous spread of information, including festival accidents.
“There will be a need for even greater consideration for safety measures from now on,” he said.
(This article was written by Takuya Nishie, Toshikazu Mishina and Kenji Oda.)