Dragon-Shaped Boats Float Down River in Flames for Edo Period Event in Morioka

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:24 JST, September 5, 2025

MORIOKA — The traditional bon festival event Funekko-nagashi was held on the Kitakami River, flowing through Morioka, on Aug. 16. Many spectators gathered on the riverside, watching the boats floating down the river while engulfed in flames.

Held since the Edo period (1603-1867), the event is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of the city.

Boats shaped like dragons are decorated with offerings and strips of paper, set on fire on the water and floated down the river to honor ancestors and pray for good health and safety.

Twelve boats made by neighborhood associations in the city and other groups were floated down the river one after another and lit with torches. When fireworks were launched from the boats, loud cheers erupted from the crowds.

This year saw the debut of one of the participating associations. Yasushi Yoshida, a 53-year-old man who pulled a boat, said, “It was hot since I was closest to the boat, but the view from the river was great.”

A six-year-old first grader at a Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, elementary school who visited with eight family members and relatives, grinned as he said, “The boat with the dragon’s face burning was awesome.”