| Kaga Tobi is an acrobatic performance
of firefighters allocated to the Edo
mansion of the Maeda family early in
the 18th century. The duty of the firefighters
in those days was destroying adjoining
houses in order to prevent the spread
of fire. They have brushed up their acrobatic
skills on top of ladders as their tools
of work.
The New Year parade of the Kanazawa
City Fire Department is performed
in Kanazawa Castle Park with a fire
drill in which 1,100 self-defense
fire brigade members (fire-fighting
volunteers apart from official fire
department members) from each area
of the city participate. The event
includes the traditional Kaga Tobi
performance on top of ladders and
simultaneous water-discharge exercise
of the Kanazawa City Fire Department.
The splendid and brave Kaga Tobi
performance is unique and covered
by the news media throughout Japan
every year. |
