What is a "Yakata-bune" ?
"Yakata-bune" has its long history. "Yakata-bune" is the vessel taken into poems as an object which are compiled as "Man/nyou/shuu", Japan's existing most ancient collection of poems.
It is told that the original type of Yakata-bune" was designed in the Heian Period (794〜1185 AD).
"Yakata" was first developed as "Toma", which has a simple roof with no column supports to protect persons onboard from weather (sunlignt, wind, rain). 'Yakata" is a roof supported by columns.
After the Heian period (794〜1185 AD), the "Yakata" roof shape was applied to various ships (aristocrat-use pleasure vessels, annual tribute carries, government ships, merchant ships). "Yakata" for aristocrat-use were most luxurious and "Yakata" used in merchant ships for common people's use were quite ordinary. Therefore, there were two kinds, quite different from each other in design and decoration, which appeared in response to the two different purposes for which each was intended.
In those days, already Chinese style "Yakata" (of the China's Tang age, 618〜906 AD) were in use as so-called "Kara Yakata-bune" for pleasure cruises.
In the Edo period (1600〜1868 AD), there were many "Yakata-bune" developed as Daimyou owned vessels or samurai owned vessels (Daimyou : feudal lord). They were called "Gyoza-bune"(state barges) or "Rou-sen" (i.e., two storied ships).
In the mid-Edo period, Daimyou and rich townsmen decorated their Yakata-bune with gold, silver, Japan and pictures in a competitive trend. At that time "Yakata-bune" were as big as 20 m long and 5.5m wide. Yakata-bune were quite popular with these people. The Rivers Sumida (Tokyo), Katsura and Kamo (Kyoto), Yodo (Osaka), and Nagara (Gifu) were their areas of operations.
However, doom came to "Yakata-bune" when the shogunate government imposed restrictions on their decorative design and size. In the Meiji period (1868〜1912 AD), the number of "Yakata-bune" decreased and the scale shrank till they became smaller boats with a simple "Yakata" (meaning : roof shape) attached on top.
In the early days of the Showa period (1926〜1989 AD), the majority of "Yakata-bune" had a "Yakata" roof with lanterns hanging around it, and their hull was about 8m to 9m long. As the predominant way of the then customary pleasure, the passengers enjoyed the cruise with attendants such as Geisha and "Hangyoku"(child Geisha) on the water. This peaceful atmosphere was wiped away at the outbreak of the war.
However, during the restoring period after the war, "Yakata-bune" revived. These days, during the cherry-blossom season (spring), cherry-blossom viewing cruise aboard "Yakata-bune" is popular again and in summer season they are used for tool breeze enjoying purpose. They go up and down the River Sumida in great number.
