History of the Tanabata Festival

The "Yuzawa Tanabata Picture Lantern Festival" began with the arrival of a princess who was "welcomed" by the 7th generation of the Satake Nanbu clan, Lord Yoshiyasu, from the Takatsukasa family in Kyoto. (In reality, she was the daughter of one of Takatsukasa's subordinates and had no blood relation.) She expressed her nostalgia and deep longing for Kyoto by placing her wishes on five-colored paper strips and decorating them on bamboo.

The picture lanterns were introduced during the Meiji era. A man named Eikichi Noguchi, who married into a family in Yuzawa from Sendai, started drawing the lanterns to rival the Tanabata festival in Sendai. This led to the development of unique streamers and decorations at various shops, making the picture lanterns a striking feature at the time.

After World War II, as roads were expanded, the picture lanterns gradually grew larger. Today, in addition to the five-colored paper strips and streamers on bamboo, hundreds of large and small picture lanterns depicting beautiful ukiyo-e women are hung along the streets. At dusk, these lanterns are all lit simultaneously, transforming the entire city into a grand "city of eternal night." The festival's colors and elegance are unmatched anywhere else in the country.

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