Floating giants
> Nebuta artist Shunichi Kitamura still designs these massive Japanese lanterns using the traditional method
THE Embassy of Japan in Malaysia recently invited Nebuta craftsman Shunichi Kitamura to talk about the massive, unique, and fantastic lanterns that are the centrepiece of the Nebuta festival in Japan.
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, or Nebuta for short, is a summer festival celebrated every year in early August in the Aomori prefecture, located in the north of Honshu, the biggest of the four main islands of Japan.
The Nebuta festival, one of the three biggest festivals in Japan, evolved from the Tanabata festival, which in turn originated from the Chinese Qixi festival.
At the heart of this festival is a parade, and the centrepieces of this parade are the gigantic lit-up lanterns made by craftsmen like Kitamura and his team.
These massive Nebuta floats measure around nine metres wide, seven metres in length, and five metres in height. Their skeletal structure is made out of wood and wire while their skin is made out of washi paper.
It takes around 15 to 20 people approximately six months from conceptualisation to completion to make one of these floats.
The lanterns often depict legendary scenes from mythology and history.
Some lanterns also depict scenes from popular culture, including a Nebuta float made by one of Kitamura’s relatives featuring a famous battle between Ultraseven and Eleking from the Ultraman TV series, as well as a series of Star Wars Nebuta floats which appeared back in 2015.
Kitamura comes from a family of Nebuta craftsmen in Aomori.
Initially, he was not interested in picking up the craft from his father. Instead, he left for Tokyo over 700km away.
One fateful day, two years after he left home, he saw a poster featuring one of the Nebuta floats his father had made. His chest swelled up with pride, and he decided to return home to Aomori and learn from his father.
Kitamura made his debut as a Nebuta artist in 2011 by participating in the NTT Group Nebuta with his first group work, titled God of Justice: Ashura’s Anger.
Since then, he has created huge Nebuta works every year, and was awarded the outstanding production award in 2017.
Kitamura still uses the traditional method to design his floats, starting with a smaller model that he creates.
He added that he does not use computers to plan out these colossal lanterns. Instead, he sketches them out with a threedimensional model in mind.
He said that the most challenging part of building the Nebuta floats is applying and decorating the washi paper around the structure.
Washi paper is used because it is a resilient high-quality paper that diffuses light, which gives the floats a distinctive glow.
It’s a very tricky process to ensure the colours and effects are correct, Kitamura said, adding that getting the faces of the characters right is vital.
First, the artist handpaints the lines on the float using Sumigaki ink. This is an important process.
Water and poster colours are then used to colour the floats, while wax and old newspaper are used to add detail and mask off areas for painting, to avoid colour contamination.
Kitamura said that traditionally the structure of the floats was made out of bamboo, a tradition that he is looking to bring back.
Nowadays, the Nebuta floats also incorporate some modern elements such as LEDs.
Each float is lit by 1,000 to 1,500 LEDs and covered with around 10,000 pieces of washi paper. The end result is a structure that weighs approximately four tonnes.
Most of the weight, explained Kitamura, comes from the base the float is placed on, and the generator within it.
Although it is called a float parade, the Nebuta parade in Aomori is held on the streets, and not in a river. Some 2o floats participate in the parade every year.
After the main event, the top five best floats are later placed on a boat and made to float along a river.
During the parade, each float is headed by a leader who coordinates the movement of the float, and volunteers who push and pull it on its wheeled base through the streets. It takes some 30 people to move and manoeuvre the four-tonne float.
The float is also accompanied by a band of musicians, Haneto dancers, and additional costumed characters. The musicians play the drums, flutes, and cymbals that set the pace for the float, as well as dance alongside the Haneto dancers.
Anyone can join the Haneto dancers, Kitamura added – you just need the right costume.
There are also smaller floats made by smaller groups. These are known as children’s Nebuta.
The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is now one of the biggest festival attractions in Japan.
Kitamura hopes that the floats could bring entertainment and enjoyment to all, and perhaps, beyond the festival itself.