Odawara style

Odawara style (小田原流) is a method of portable shrines (神輿) carrying style in Odawara regions in Japan.

The portable shrines are most popular using tools of the Japanese shrines festival. But it’s not known that many carrying styles are there. Allegedly, Odawara style has appeared about early in the 1600’s at Odawara region. It’s called Edo era in Japan.

Odawara style that is very infrequent carrying style than other method dash to a target as carrying people carry their portable shrine after sing a Kiyari song.
For example, very famous portable shrines carrying style is a Edomae (江戸前) style in Japan. This style doesn’t run when it’s carried a portable shrine but it hard shakes up and down as carrying people looking like do dance steps rhythmically. Edomae carrying style is using style for carrying the portable shrine at around Tokyo region mainly.

The most important is a Kiyari (木遣り唄) song for Odawara style. Allegedly old era, fisherman who worked on a fishing boat at the offshore an ocean, pulled up a very heavy fishing-net from deep water. Then they used this Kiyari song in order to synchronize timing. If it’s unmatched to pull timing, all catches are run away to deep water from net slope. Absolutely, current working styles are all automatic by a machine therefore these Kiyari songs are gradually done away. Now, these Kiyari songs are dedicated to shrine’s festival for good fishing pray. Thus Odawara style is using the Kiyari song when portable shrines run to target. It’s very very holy traditional practice in Odawara region.

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