Danjiri Matsuri #2

Just before the teams start to pull the danjiri, there is a slow chanting by each puller. A whistle is blown and the team springs into running. The chanting grows to a furious pace as the team shouts and yells. The thick pulling-rope can be up to 650 feet long and the pulling-team as large as 1000 people. The privilege of dancing on top of the danjiri goes to the carpenters. They are called daiku-gata and each one creates his own style of dancing, varying on traditional themes. With thousands of participants and tens of thousands of spectators, danjiri is easily one of Ōsaka's rowdiest festivals.