Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
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I returned to Hirosaki, impressed by the Tachineputa floats in Goshogawara. As I was wandering the town, I was thinking about the Neputa floats in Hirosaki. I felt like I would regret it later if I didn't see the floats here... So I started exploring the town! I was able to see the "fan-shaped Neputa" without any problems, and thought about Neputa making and the festival culture that is deeply rooted in the local area.
It all happened suddenly. I met a Neputa artist.
I was so impressed by the Tachineputa I saw at the Tachineputa Museum in Goshogawara that I returned to Hirosaki and finally got to see Mt. Iwaki. As I was staring blankly at the sunset, a question came to mind. When I thought about it, where on earth are those huge Neputa made? While I was researching this and that in Hirosaki, I happened to hear some interesting information.
I visited in early July, which is the most important time for the creation of Nebuta floats in various parts of the prefecture from the end of July to August. An acquaintance of mine is a Neputa artist, and he told me that he was currently creating a painting, so I thought I should go and see it. I received an unexpected offer, so I decided to visit right away!
There are many painters in Aomori Prefecture, and some even make painting their profession. We visited the workshop of a man who was born into a family of painters and apprenticed to a teacher since childhood, marking his 16th year in the job. He has been entrusted with drawing eight designs for the Neputa floats that will be held around the country this year. Each Neputa will have one picture pasted on the front and back, meaning there will be a total of 16 to draw. This is a difficult job. As he draws on the washi paper placed on the ground, he imagines the finished product, such as how it will look when pasted on the frame and standing up, or with a light inside.
First, the overall design is decided and a rough sketch is drawn. After that, the rough sketch is drawn on a large fan-shaped piece of paper. From there, the work is mostly freehand with ink, and then the dye is added by bleeding it. The finished image in your head is actually shaped on paper.
Iwakisan, which I had difficulty seeing due to the bad weather. I was finally able to see it.
From a slightly open area. There were some clouds, but the ridgeline was beautiful in the sunset. The peak looks like the kanji character for "mountain" and is the view of Mt. Iwaki from Hirosaki.
We visited a Neputa artist's studio! The washi paper was joined together to form a fan shape. It was so big that I couldn't fit it all in the camera...!
The sketch has already been done.
I'll show you the finished colored ones!
This is a rough sketch. At this stage, I draw the grid so that I can roughly see the dimensions and balance even when I draw it larger.
Waxing gives it a white border, which makes the color more vivid.
The Neputa are coloured using a gradational "bleeding" technique that accentuates the three-dimensional effect and impact. However, using dyes in this way results in the boundaries between colours blurring and making it difficult to clearly show the subject matter. This is where the "waxing" method comes in. As with the wax-resist dyeing method used in fabric dyeing, this method only allows the areas coated with wax to repel water, rendering the colour white. The areas coated with wax allow strong light to pass through, allowing the subject matter to be depicted clearly, and is an effective method for creating strong, cool-looking images.
In this artist's case, while he mainly uses five colors, he is particularly particular about the color red, and paints the red he wants while imagining it to be neither too heavy nor too light, and shining a light on it.
Neputa often depict brave warriors fighting, subjects from Kabuki, or heroes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is related to the fact that the festival was originally called "Fighting Neputa." Floats competed by bumping into each other or destroying them with stones. This competition led to the Neputa becoming larger and more extravagant, and their shapes also changed to be easier to repair, such as becoming fan-shaped rather than three-dimensional. In Hirosaki, there are both three-dimensional and fan-shaped Neputa.
It is mainly colored with five colors using gradations. It depicts a scene of a brave and courageous battle, and from the flow of the fighting Neputa, it also has the meaning of intimidating the opponent.
The way the brush is used creates a powerful picture. The flow of the hair, almost freehand, is bold. The artist's skill is shown in how he expresses the powerful force of a scene from Kabuki or Romance of the Three Kingdoms!
Dyes are used to color the paint. Using a flat brush, dyes and water are used to create a blur, and then gradations are created by layering one or two strokes. It may seem simple, but watching the process makes it clear that it's not something you can do right away!
The wax is used to remove the color, making it white. This not only makes the boundaries between the colors clearer, but also changes the way the light passes through the float, making the images appear even more vivid.
The "Misouri-e" is on the back of the Neputa. There are some connoisseurs who love to look at these Misouri-e. They usually depict slender beauties or ghosts.
Experience the history and spirit of Neputa at Tsugaru Neputa Village
At night, there is a brightly lit warehouse near Hirosaki Station.... Looking closer, I see that it is a "Neputa hut" where the framework of the Neputa is made! I immediately call out to it and take a look inside. They make their own Neputa. Men and women of all ages gathered after work and worked until late into the night to maintain the Neputa and make the framework.
The next day, we also went to the Tsugaru Neputa Village near Hirosaki Castle. There, we could see many artists and the largest fan-shaped floats in Hirosaki, 7 meters tall. Neputa is a festival that originated among the general public, especially farmers. Although it is only held for a few days out of the year, I felt that the dominance of the culture and the passion for Neputa from childhood has had a major impact on the way people of Aomori live their lives. Of course, the ways of involvement are varied and diversified in this day and age, but I think that you can't talk about Aomori Prefecture without mentioning Nebuta and Neputa.
The passion condensed over a few days is passed on to the next year. A festival made up of the thoughts of many different people, this is the summer festival that lives on in this town.
*Normally, you cannot enter the Neputa artist's studio. You also cannot enter the Neputa frame construction site without permission.
Working at night in front of Hirosaki Station. This is the site where they are repairing the frames and making small Neputa dolls (3D).
While imagining the appearance of the doll, we set up the lighting inside. In the past, this was done with candles, and there are apparently only two or three groups left in Hirosaki that still use the method of lighting with flickering candle light.
In the past, the structure was made entirely of wood, but recently it has been made with steel frames to make it stronger and last longer.
This one also didn't fit on the camera... It's so big, I can't believe it's running through the city! It's even taller because it's placed on a stand.
A large Neputa float passes through the streets of Hirosaki, and many people line the streets to watch it... it's hard to imagine unless you see it for yourself. Now that I think about it, there are no electric wires on the road where the Neputa floats are paraded. The Neputa floats parade through the streets, with lively music resonating and fans spinning around.
The next day, I headed to Tsugaru Neputa Village to coincide with its opening in the morning.
When we entered, a Tsugaru shamisen performance was happening. The finger movements were amazing! The overseas guests who were also there were delighted by the powerful performance.
It's not an exhibition hall that takes a long time to look around, but if you take your time, you'll forget the time passing by. You can learn about respect for the painters and the history and origins of the Neputa Festival. Most of the people who work here are involved in the festival, so you can hear a lot of actual stories, and they are also active as musicians.
Rather than designs that are too eccentric, designs that add individuality to traditional pictures are more popular. There are many artists who have their own fans, and each one has a slightly different style. And they all have spirited expressions.
Apparently, it can be spun electrically or manually using a rope. I want to see the real thing!
There are also exhibits of old items. The manji mark is also the mark of Hirosaki city.
The picture of a beautiful woman is on the back, called "Okuri-e". There are many people who like Okuri-e, but to me they are more advanced!
There is a souvenir shop near Tsugaru Neputa Village, so be sure to check it out. "Oyama Senbei" is a handmade rice cracker.
Add nuts and sesame seeds,
The wheat flour dough is placed on top and pressed down to sandwich the bread, then it is grilled over charcoal.
He was handling many rice crackers at once by himself. It was a hot day and he was working hard in front of the fire.
Pistachio is apparently the most popular, but there are also many other varieties such as sesame, peanuts, and almonds.
It had a simple taste and was delicious. It's close to not only Neputa Village, but also Hirosaki Castle and the Edo period samurai residence district to the north, so be sure to stop by.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
