The Yamagata
Yakushi Uekiichi Festival
Yamagata
Craddled between the Zao Mountains to the East and the Asahi Mountains to the West, after the snow melts and as fresh greenery rolls in, during the springtime, Yamagata City is bursting with life. Embracing this spirit of new beginnings and vigor, the annual Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival embodies everything we love about Yamagata City: good food, good friends, and good greens.
What Even is an Uekiichi Festival?
The Yamagata City is not the only town in Japan to hold an Uekiichi Festival. In fact, Uekiichi Festivals have been held all over Japan since the Edo period when local gardeners began organizing vibrant street markets situated in front of local shrines and temples, showcasing arrays of home-grown treasures, including plants, flowers, bonsai, seedlings, and various gardening goods. As the demand grew, the markets expanded beyond residential areas to encompass regions surrounding major cities like Angyo in the northeast part of Kawaguchi City, near Edo. One notable market thrived in front of Yakushido in Kayabacho, Nihonbashi, during the early 19th century, held twice a month by local gardeners. These dedicated gardeners formed cooperatives, granting them priority rights over other artisans for market space.
Along with the Osaka and Kawasaki Uekiichi Festivals, the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival is considered to be one of the three great Uekiichi festivals of Japan and is perhaps even the most well-known.
Origins of the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival
Yoshiaki Mogami (1546-1614) was the feudal lord of Yamagata in the 16th and 17th centuries and was a great military commander as well as an excellent administrator, earning him the nickname the ‘Fox of Dewa”. During his life, he controlled the 5th largest province, Dewa Province, which is what mostly Yamagata Prefecture today. By building Yamagata Castle, Yoshiaki Mogami encouraged the development of a surrounding castle town that eventually became Yamagata City.
It is said that after a large fire, the lord Mogami called on farmers and gardeners to open a market so that common people could help replenish the greenery of Yamagata City. A flourishing city rich with nature, that was the Yamagata City that Yoshiaki Mogami envisioned, and thanks to him, is the Yamagata City that we see today.
When is the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival?
Today, the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival is held annually on May 8th, 9th, and 10th from roughly 9:00 until 21:00. However, historically, that was not always the case.
One of the earliest accounts of the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiich Festival comes from a 1776 document titled “The Yamagata Pine Tree Pillow” (山形風流松の木枕) that states:
“On April 8th, at the Yakushi Uekiichi Festival, teahouses are lined up along the riverbank, with people gambling and various merchants gathering en mass to buy and sell tsuboki pines and various other items in front of the gate.”
As mentioned in the document, the Yakushi Uekiichi festival was originally held on April 8th in the lunar calendar, but in 1901, due to city construction, the festival was moved a month later to May 8th. However, on that day, a large fire broke out in the northern part of Yamagata City, engulfing government buildings, shrines and temples, shopping streets, residences, and even Yakushi-do Hall. As a result, the festival was moved back to April 8th until 1933, when it was moved back to May 8th.
Where does the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival take place?
The Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival takes place around Yakushido Hall in Yamagata City. Starting from Yakushi Park, the festival sprawls across Yakushicho-dori, Shinchiku Nishi-dori, Gochu-dori, and Muikamachi-dori for about 3 kilometers.
Getting to the festival ground from Yamagata Station is easy as either a local bus (15 minutes), taxi (6 minutes), or walking (25 minutes) can get you there in no time! There are additionally 600 parking spaces provided on-site as well in case you are coming by private car.
What can I do at the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival?
The Yakushi Uekiichi Festival boasts over 350 different street food vendors, making it the largest street food event in all of Yamagata Prefecture! Among the many culinary treasures, keep your eyes peeled for local specialties such as dondonyaki, yamagyu beef, and fresh fruit! Of course, other Japanese festival goodies such as 10 yen bread, kakigori, yakisoba, takoyaki, and ringo ame are available as well!
The founding spirit of the festival still stands as the main reason many attend is to buy seedlings, samplings, bonsai, trees, and flowers for their spring gardens. Many local gardeners and horticulturists work hard all year in order to sell and showcase their goods, and even if you’re not looking to buy, sellers are quite proud to show off their goods. There are also a number of stands that sell gardening goods and other various flea market knickknacks.
In the evening, dare to test your bravery at the haunted house down in the park! While the attraction is actually quite tame and can garner long queues, the homemade cheesiness of the ghosts, ghouls, and spooks is a fun and nostalgic experience for sure!
A Festival Worth Visiting
While not as flashy or well-advertised as other Yamagata Festivals, such as the Hanagasa Festival or the Human Shogi Festival, the Yamagata Yakushi Uekiichi Festival has a uniquely local feel and is more than worth the visit. No matter if you are looking to cop a new houseplant, or are just hoping to chow down on some delicious street food, the Yakushi Uekiichi Festival will surely hold a special place in your heart for sure!
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