Mikoshi

Particularly during the summer months, thousands of traditional folk festivals, known as Matsuri, are held in almost every city in Japan.
These festivals are not only celebrations of Japanese deities, but also an opportunity to get together with friends and family to watch fireworks or sample local specialities. Nevertheless, the most important moment remains the procession of Mikoshi bearers. Mikoshi are portable replicas of Shinto shrines, weighing from 500 kg to 1 tonne! During the festival, almost everyone carries it and walks together through the streets of their neighborhood. The spiritual aim of the participants is to protect the neighborhood from evil spirits. And to energize the bearers of this heavy sacred object, the procession is often accompanied by small Japanese drums (Taïko) and the encouraging words “Wa-Shoï! Wa-Shoï!” (Ho Hisse! Ho Hisse!)…
In the second part of this piece for organ and percussion, the “dotted eighth note-double eighth note” rhythm evokes the Japanese drums accompanying Mikoshi’s procession.
Rikako Watanabe