Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum

Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum (Nagasaki Kunchi)

The Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum, established in 2004, is a facility dedicated to exhibiting the floats and various crafts used in the Nagasaki Kunchi Festival. In addition to valuable artifact displays, the museum also screens videos related to the festival and has a small souvenir shop, allowing visitors to gain a deeper appreciation of this long-standing cultural tradition.

Nagasaki Kunchi Festival

The Nagasaki Kunchi Festival, held annually from October 7 to 9, is one of Nagasaki’s most iconic celebrations. During the festival, representatives of different town districts first perform dedication dances and shows at Suwa Shrine before parading through various locations in the city to present their performances to the public.

This tradition dates back to 1634, when two local women are said to have performed Noh at the shrine as an offering. Over time, the festival incorporated a variety of cultural elements, now featuring not only dances but also ship-shaped floats and dragon dances. The dragon dance originated from Nagasaki’s Chinese community, while the playful “Dutch Wahei” performance began as a satirical depiction of Dutch traders on Dejima, later becoming one of the festival’s most distinctive highlights.

In its early days, Nagasaki was divided into 77 districts organized into 11 groups, which participated in rotation on a seven-year cycle. Although the number of participating districts decreased from the 19th century onward, the seven-year rotation system remains in place today, preserving the unique traditional character of the festival.