Musical festival floats of Japan : Festival ensembles in the Chita Peninsula and Aichi
Based on more than thirty years' fieldwork, this book aims to increase the understanding of music played on elaborate wooden floats which form vital components in Japanese festivals with a religious dimension. The focus is on float-festivals in Aichi prefecture in central Japan; but wider perspectives, international as well as national, also come into play.Float-festivals date back several centuriThis book aims to increase the understanding of festival music in Japan. It is based on more than thirty years of fieldwork. Close study of one local festival in the town of Taketoyo is combined with a wider comparative analysis that covers most of the of the Aichi prefecture in central Japan. All these festivals are float-festivals. Charged with spiritual power, the floats serve as mobile shrines
