太子山(Taishi Yama)

The deity on this yama represents the Crown Prince ("Taishi" in old Japanese) Shotoku of the 6th century. He is famous for laying the foundation of Buddhism in Japan, and therefore, has been widely worshiped by people regardless of their religious sects. A legend concerning him is the origin of this float. When he was to establish Shitennouji Temple, he climbed a mountain himself in search of fine wood.









On the mountain, an old man told him about a tall sacred cedar, and he built a hexagonal temple there. In accordance with this story, this is the only yama which uses cedar tree for its Shingi pole, while other floats are surmounted with pine trees. The prince's figure on the yama, made in the Edo period (1600 - 1867), depicts his noble image in a white short-sleeved kimono wearing his trademark hair-style, a hair lobe on each side of his round face.
By T.S. on 28th Jun., 2008