An enormous wooden festival cart races towards a junction. People are running beside it. Then the whole thing swings around a right-angle turn.
Watching a clip, it's hard not to think: “Surely that could tip over?”
On October 10, 2026, two separate accidents in Osaka showed how real that danger is.[1]
Sixteen injuries in one day, not over decades
Carts overturned at intersections in Izumisano and Izumiotsu. The reported toll was one death and seven injuries in Izumisano, plus one death and nine injuries in Izumiotsu: two deaths and 16 injuries on the same day.[1]
Both people who died had been positioned on the sides of the carts to act as counterweights during turns. They were thrown off and trapped underneath, according to reports. Police were investigating exactly what happened.[1]
A large wooden structure tipping onto people is not comparable to an ordinary fall.
The original wish was for a good harvest
Kishiwada City describes several accounts of its festival's origins. One dates to 1703, when a local ruler began worship associated with the Inari deity and prayers for bountiful crops. Bringing the cart to a shrine remains an important part of the festival.[2][3]
So the original idea was closer to “May the rice grow well” than “Let's see how quickly we can take this corner.”
To be precise, 1703 is one origin story for Kishiwada, not a founding date for every danjiri festival. Izumisano and Izumiotsu have their own local histories.
How did the corner become the main event?
Danjiri carts are treasured neighborhood objects, often covered in intricate carvings. Over time, displaying the community's teamwork and skill became part of the celebration.
In Kishiwada, the rapid right-angle maneuver is called yarimawashi. People at the front help brake, while another team steers from the rear. The city's own guide calls the timing a test of skill.[3]
Think of it as steering a huge wooden vehicle with a crowd instead of a steering wheel. Impressive when it works; frightening when it doesn't.
There are important local differences. Izumiotsu's coastal Hamahaccho district is known for kachiai, in which festival carts strike one another. The city's inland districts, by contrast, are known for fast, controlled turns.[4]
Neither October 10 overturning should be described as a kachiai collision. Both were reported as carts losing balance while turning right.[1]
Must protecting tradition mean protecting every risk?
There is more to danjiri than speed: shrine visits, music, craftsmanship and bonds built across generations. None of that becomes worthless because an unsafe practice is questioned.
But honoring a festival is not the same as refusing to reconsider cornering speed, where people ride, or how much space surrounds the cart. An investigation—not a dramatic video alone—must establish the causes and responsibility.
A tradition can continue without every dangerous detail remaining unchanged. A prayer for a good year ought to include the hope that everyone can return to celebrate next year.
References (4)
- 共同通信、2026年10月10日「だんじり横転相次ぐ、２人死亡 大阪、祭り関係者１６人負傷」 origin.daily.co.jp
- 岸和田市「岸和田とまつり」（1703年は起源に関する諸説の一つ） city.kishiwada.lg.jp
- 岸和田市「だんじり用語辞典」（やりまわし・宮入り） city.kishiwada.lg.jp
- 泉大津市「町並み探訪」（濱八町のかちあい・十二町連合のやりまわし） city.izumiotsu.lg.jp
