Donation needed for Restoration of a 100-year-old historical wooden float
Donation needed for Restoration of a 100-year-old historical wooden float
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Let us pass down tradition float to the children of 100 years from now
Let us pass down tradition float to the children of 100 years from now
Donation needed
Donation needed
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Thanks for visiting us Toricho Town
Thanks for visiting us Toricho Town
Toricho Town is close to Enoshima island where is one hour train from Tokyo. There is a famous tourist spot with traditional souvenir shops, seafood restaurant and famous shrine known for marriage, business adn art. Also there is a great beach so you may see wonderful Mt. Fuji over the blue ocean.
Toricho Town is the name that has been used since ancient times, and the town is currently located in a part of Katase-3, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.
There are several temples in the area, and in the past it was located on a road that many travelers walked on to visit Enoshima, and Toricho Town is also depicted in old paintings.
Katase Suwa Shrine annual festival
Katase Suwa Shrine annual festival
The Katase Suwa Shrine annual festival is held from August 23rd to 28th every year.
（Katase Suwa Shrine, Japanese only）
There are five towns in the area: Arayashiki, Nishigata, Nishihama, Shimonoya, and our own town of Toricho. Each town has its own floats, which parade through their respective neighborhoods. At 3:00 a.m. on the 27th, the Hamaori Festival begins at Suwa Shrine and heads towards Katase Beach, where Enoshima can be seen. In the evening, the national highway from near Ryukoji Temple to near Suwa Shrine is closed and the floats from the five towns, along with portable shrines, form a procession and take part in a parade. This is a major event in the Katase area, with many people coming to watch along the road every year.
In player for recovery from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
In player for recovery from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
Toricho Town Floa was built in 1927 in player for recovery from the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1923, with support of residents and local shop owners of the time saving and donating from their modest means.
Rotating Float
Rotating Float
The floats owned by the five towns are all made of wood, including the wheels, and all are rotating floats, making them rare even nationwide.
The sight of the floats lit with lanterns rotating in the twilight, combined with the sound of drums, is both nostalgic and beautiful.
The carvings by sculptor Ryoun Uchiyama
The carvings by sculptor Ryoun Uchiyama
Recently, Ryoun's son discovered a notebook which recorded that the Toricho Town float was made by Uchiyama Ryoun, a sculptor active mainly in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, and his eldest son, Koichiro, in May or June of 1926. Uchiyama Ryoun was born on July 7, 1877, as the third son of Yoshinosuke, a farmer, and his mother, Kin, in Gyoda City, Saitama. He is said to have begun his training as a sculptor when he became an apprentice to Sato Kumajiro Masatsune at around the age of 10 in 1887, and the father-son duo left behind many works, mainly in the Kanto region.
We were able to find records of the production of the floats (listed as yatai in the ledger) of Toricho Town, which existed as part of Katase Village in Kamakura County at the time, as well as sketches of sculptures that appear to have been based on the motifs of swamps, plovers, and turtles, which were scattered throughout Toricho Town at the time.
Restoration of historical wooden float
Restoration of historical wooden float
Toricho Town's float has a history of approximately 100 years, but last year in 2023, distortions were found in the rotation, and metal fatigue in the rotating axis was suspected.As a result, the town decided not to rotate the float with children on board, out of an emphasis on safety.
Although the wheels and other undercarriage have been repaired from time to time, the wooden wheels have deteriorated significantly over time, and the rot in the roof and floorboards and the dirt on the carvings are becoming increasingly noticeable.
Therefore, with an eye to the next 100 years for the children who will continue to use the carriage, we have decided to carry out large-scale repairs.
Restoration Costs
Restoration Costs
We plan to commission a construction company that was founded in 1869 and has a proven track record in repairing national treasures and important cultural properties in the construction of shrines and temples. The float will be dismantled and transported to the construction company, and the repairs will be large-scale and will take approximately one year, with a total cost expected to be around 15 million yen.
We would like to prioritize repairs in the following order:
Repairs to areas related to the safe operation of the float, such as the rotating shaft and wheels on top of the float (highest priority).
Repairs to areas damaged by wind, rain, and aging, such as the roof panels and sides.
Repairs to the sculptures on the sides and top by sculptor Uchiyama Ryoun.
Donation needed
Donation needed
We greatly appreciate your support.
Please kindly move to donation site.
Photo by @dsk300s
Contact Information
Contact Information
Toricho Town Dashi Float Preservation Socieety, Fujisawa City
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