In the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, many communities were encouraged to resume holding summer festivals this summer to return to raise spirits and return to normalcy. In the Kuroshima district of Monzen-machim where Habitat Japan worked to offer disaster relief, the Kuroshima Tenryo festival was held over two days August 17th and 18th. Under blue skies, the whole town of Kuroshima was bustling with activity, where Habitat Japan’s disaster relief youth intern Mizuno-san and other university students from the Habitat campus chapter at Kanazawa University who volunteered in reconstruction efforts joined the festival as volunteer staff. Reflecting on the day of festivities, Mizuno-san shared the following essay:
Kuroshima, the home of the Kuroshima Tenyro festival, was designated as a district under the direct control of the Edo shogunate in 1684. The town flourished as port of call for cargo ships sailing the Sea of Japan and as a place of residence for sailors, lined with wooden buildings with black-tiled roofs, now recognized as protected cultural properties by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs. I visited Kuroshima in the spring following the earthquake, and I could imagine how beautiful the landscape must have been before the disaster, with old houses lining the narrow streets and the Sea of Japan unfolding before the horizon.
The Kuroshima Tenryo festival is a tradition said to have started during the Edo period praying for the safe voyage of northbound cargo ships. The festival is famous for two 12-meter-tall floats, one in the shape of Osaka Castle and another in the shape of Nagoya Castle. These floats are carried the length of Kuroshima, approximately 1,300 meters from north to south, during this lively festival.
Unfortunately, the earthquake damaged the portable Shinto shrines usually carried during the festivities. Despite this, and after many discussions by the residents, the event was to be held as a float parade instead. The buildings and roads the floats passed by still bore the scars of disaster, but as an important cultural event to the community, the community rallied in support on the day of the festival. Seeing the townsfolk wearing hats and parading floats around the town over two days, full of energy and shouting, made us feel the resilience and strength that the community had.
It's difficult to estimate how long it will take to rebuild Monzen-machi following the Noto Peninsula earthquake. Habitat Japan has actively engaged in recovery efforts with the help of student volunteers from universities like the nearby Kanazawa University and by building ties with the local community. These efforts bore fruit when we received an invitation from the community to participate in the festival, and so students from Kanazawa University were able to volunteer to help run the Kuroshima Tenryo festival with the hope of preserving local traditions and revitalizing the disaster-struck Kuroshima district.
The student volunteers from Kanazawa University were encouraged by residents to steer the floats with a “rudder stick”, which steers the floats, and to pull on the ropes to move the floats. The size and weight of the floats necessitated not only physical strength, but also teamwork and coordination to pass through narrow roads. With the help of the community, volunteers were able to help the float parade go off without a hitch. On the festival day, student volunteers stayed the night at a community center that was opened to festival participant sand volunteers, where volunteers were able to further deepen their relationships with the community. Student volunteers commented:
“It was nice to be part of the festival”, “I enjoyed getting to know the residents and the others volunteers”, “it was great being able to be a part of the Kuroshima tradition”, “I definitely want to help again next year”, and “it would be a shame if culture like this festival were to disappear because of the earthquake; I want to stay involved going forward”.
As is the case for me, the connections formed between the local community members through volunteering have become a point of attachment to the region. I visited the Noto Peninsula for the first time only after the earthquake, and through cleaning up houses, consulting with architects, participating in festivals, and other activities, especially those where we sweat alongside other community members, have fueled a desire to keep an eye on and continuing to help the area. My experience volunteering to help the region recover and finally support its local festival is something that I will forever cherish.
Habitat Japan’s support for areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake came to an end in September. However, it will take many years for the affected areas to fully recover. Habitat Japan will continue seeking opportunities for medium- and long-term support, and continue to support and watch over the efforts of students from Kanazawa University’s campus chapter to continue to support reconstruction.