How Noto’s Forests Bring Communities Together Through Festivals
When we think about forests, we often think about trees, timber, or the natural environment. When we think about festivals, we might picture lanterns, music, dancing, and people gathering in the streets. At first, the two may seem unrelated. But in rural communities such as those in Noto, forests and festivals can be more closely connected than we might expect.
Forests as Community Resources
For generations, forests have been an important resource for rural communities. Wood can be used as a construction material for houses and other buildings, as well as for tools and other everyday needs. But the use of forest resources does not stop at practical necessities.
This is where the connection between forests and festivals comes in.
From Trees to Festival Materials
Between the forest and the finished festival float is a network of people who select, harvest, process, and transform timber into usable materials. Carpenters and local craftspeople then put these materials together, while other community members help decorate, transport, maintain, and prepare the floats for the festival.
The physical materials provided by the forest become connected to something much larger: local knowledge, cooperation, and tradition.
Noto Peninsula’s Kiriko Festivals
The Noto Peninsula provides a particularly interesting example of this connection through its Kiriko festivals. It is often said that Kiriko festivals are held in around 200 areas across the Noto Peninsula, although this figure may have changed following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
During my stay in Noto for several months, I was able to attend more than ten festivals held in different towns. Some were large and well-known festivals, while others were small local celebrations that received far less attention outside their communities.
Festivals such as Abare Matsuri and Issaki Hotou Matsuri attract attention because of their scale and spectacular performances. However, many smaller towns also have their own Kiriko festivals, each with its own traditions and characteristics.
In many cases, a town has at least one Kiriko float, while some communities have several, with some historically having more than twenty. Seeing these festivals from town to town made it clear that Kiriko are not simply standardized festival equipment. Their designs, construction, and use can vary between communities.
Carrying the Traditions
Kiriko floats are generally designed to be reused rather than rebuilt from scratch every year. This makes the durability of their structural materials particularly important. Ate wood, for example, is valued for its strength and resistance to decay, allowing the structure to be maintained and used over many years.
The appearance of the Kiriko, however, can change much more frequently. The paper panels and decorative designs may be replaced with new ones from year to year. In this sense, a Kiriko can carry both the physical memory of the past and the creativity of the present. The wooden structure may have been used for many years, while its newly decorated panels represent the community’s work for the current festival.
