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Image of Hakata Dontaku Port Festival(Photo taken: unknown)

Hakata Dontaku Port Festival(Photo taken: unknown)

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The Origins of the Dontaku Song

Hakata Donkatu festival has its own theme song called “Bonchikawaiya.” “Bonchikawaiya” was originally a shiritori - a traditional word game - song of the Edo period. The original lyrics appeared in ezoshi - picture books - during this time. It was Heibei Kawaharada, a Hakata merchant who lived in the middle of the Meiji period (1868-1912), that arranged this Edo shiritori song to better suit it to Hakata culture. Heibei was the third son of the owner of a stationary shop, Heisukefude Fukkodo, which opened in 1501 and is still in business today. Not obliged to take over his parents' business, Heibei moved to Tokyo to receive training at a sweet shop. Upon completion, he returned to Hakata and opened his own confectionary shop, Eisho-do, in Shimo Gofukumachi, inspired by ‘Eisho-e,’ the line in Hakata-Iwai-Uta (Hakata Celebration Song) sung at the Hakata Yamakasa Festival. He obviously loved Yamakasa very much and was fond of puns!

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