Morimachi Float: Tenkyu, Gaiseisha

It was named "Gaiseisha" after the triumphant return (gaisen) celebrated nationwide in 1895 (Meiji 28), when Japan won a great victory in the Sino-Japanese War. The float uses cypress wood from Tenkyu Shrine and is unique among Mori Festival floats in being finished in bare, unpainted wood. When it was built, the splendor of its carvings and its size and weight stood out, and it has continued to serve as a model for building other floats. • The current float is the second • The carvings are the work of Yoshitaro Masakatsu Nakayama, said to be the best master of "flowers and birds" in the Tokaido. He is said to have stayed here and worked until completion • The carvings of "geese among reeds" and "quail among millet" on the koshinaoshi and the "dragon" on the kibana were badly damaged and were replaced with works by Gasei Yamada (Hamamatsu) Builders: Daikichi Suzuki, Sadakichi Matsuura, Torajiro Matsuura, Ichitaro Yamamoto; renovation by Kinshiro Hirano (all Tenkyu) Carving: Yoshitaro Masakatsu Nakayama (Okazaki) Wheels: Monji Suzuki (Tenkyu)