Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is one of the wildest festivals in Japan dating back around 300 years, with it's origins in offering prayers for a bountiful harvest. Men pull a huge portable shrine the 'danjiri' (4 meters high and weighing more than 4 tons) around town. Attached to the shrine is about 200 meters of rope which is pulled by between 500 and 1000 men at breakneck speed. The highlight of the festival is called "Yarimawashi", whereby the danjiri is pulled into a narrow alley, then immediately turned around a corner. An amazing spectacle. This extraordinary 2 CDset is a live recording of each of the main events of the festival. It manages to capture the electric atmosphere and comes with an extensive booklet (Japanese) with photos, maps and diagrams.
