On July 10, 2023, one week before the Yamahoko Junko parade (July 17), the pre-festival of the Gion Festival, the 'yamahokotate' began in the Shijo Karasuma area in central Kyoto. On this day, the naginata, kanko, tsuki,niwatori, and kikusui floats were being worked on from early in the morning, and the sounds of the hammers resounded in the town where commuters and tourists came and went.
At niwatori-hoko (Shijo-agaru, Muromachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku), work began around 7:30 am. In the sultry heat with the sun occasionally peeking through the clouds, the craftsmen of Sakujikata built the yagura using rope garami, a technique in which pillars and braces are fixed with ropes. They put their weight on the rope to tighten it, and pounded the tightened rope to harden it.
Sakujikata Yasunori Arai (age 40) of Minami Ward said, "This year, Yoiyama and the parade are good. I think that many people will come to see it, so I put my thoughts into each roll of the rope. ’ he wiped his sweat.
By July 14th, all 23 floats for the previous festival will be erected. On July 12th, there will be a test parade of the Naginata, Kanko, Tsuki, Niwatori, and Kikusui floats, and on July 13th, the kaka-hoko, Fune-hoko, Iwato-yama, and Toro-yama floats.
