Hello, everyone~! This is Mafuyu from Goods Republic!

This time, we’re bringing even more excitement to Japan’s wonderful traditional culture! Golden Kamuy is teaming up with one of Japan’s most famous festivals for a major collaboration~!

The Kanto Festival, held in Akita Prefecture, is one of the Three Great Festivals of Tohoku! During the festival, performers known as sashite skillfully balance and control giant kanto poles called owaka, each carrying 46 lanterns and weighing around 50 kg, using their palms, foreheads, shoulders, and hips!

There are several theories about the festival’s origins, but it is said to have developed from a tradition of using lantern lights to drive away illness and evil spirits during the height of summer. Watching the performers control these enormous kanto poles up close is incredibly impressive! They weigh around 50 kg... I still can’t believe they can balance them on their foreheads and shoulders... It’s amazing!

And this year, Golden Kamuy is helping make this spectacular Kanto Festival even more exciting!

Along with original merchandise featuring newly drawn illustrations of the characters in their Kanto Festival outfits from the key visual, there are also chibi illustration goods featuring Akita dogs, a breed originating in Akita and famously known as the breed of Hachiko, Japan’s legendary loyal dog!

Some of the characters are even shown lifting the lantern poles themselves...!!

Be sure to check out the Golden Kamuy × Akita Kanto Festival collaboration, which recently kicked off!