Ofunato’s 12th Pacific Saury First Catch Festival

Right at the tail end of August, Ofunato held its 12th annual Pacific saury (sanma in Japanese, and for ease of writing, henceforth referred to as such) First Catch Festival – marking the first harvest of sanma this year for Ofunato, the largest harvester of the fish within the main Japanese island of Honshu. As sanma have become one of the most significant symbols of Ofunato (we have our own sanma mascot, Sanma-busshi!), to celebrate this occasion, over 8000 grilled sanma were prepared and given out to festival-goers for free. Festival-goers received tickets at the entrances to the venue and flocked to the grilling area in droves to have a taste of the fish, watching the many sanma grillmasters work their magic as they waited in line.

An Ofunato sanma grillmaster gazes upon his work.

Meanwhile, just outside the main venue, a separate group of people were lined up to buy fresh raw sanma for themselves. I made my way around the venue several times throughout the day, but the line only grew as time went on, no matter how many people I saw walking away with their fish-filled foam boxes in hand. Forklifts continuously hauled pallets stacked with these boxes to fulfill demand – yet by 2 pm, staff members had no choice but to turn prospective buyers away with the unfortunate words, “we’re sold out.”

Pallets full of sanma are sold to an endless line of buyers.

The day’s festivities weren’t limited only to sanma, however: though often referred to simply as the First Sanma Festival (初さんま祭), officially the festival is the “Ofunato First Sanma, Sea Urchin, Abalone, Scallop, Oyster, Sea Squirt, and Seaweed Festival.” Obviously, it’s much easier to simply say “the First Sanma Festival” – but the festival’s full name was certainly not just for show, as a long line ran continuously throughout the main venue in front of the stall selling shell-grilled abalone, scallops, and oysters, rivalling the fervor and demand for the fresh sanma being sold outside. Across from where the sanma grillmasters were piling the fish onto their grills out in the open, the tent above the shellfish grills created a furnace, churning shell after shell out from the sweltering heat.

A line stretches out from the grilled shellfish stall.

Sparks fly from red coals as scallops and oysters are grilled in their shells.

And as festival-goers spent their time waiting and feasting, at the center of the venue was a whirlwind of dance and song that captivated onlookers for the entirety of the festival. Dancers from the local Kosaki-ryu Sasuke-kai (Kosaki-style Sasuke Dance Group) took to the stage throughout the day, accompanied by both traditional songs and live performances from a variety of singers invited to attend from across Japan. Songs old and new sung by singers old and young flowed through the air.

A large crowd gathers to watch the music and dance performances.

Members of the Sasuke-kai dance group perform on stage.

It was certainly a little somber at the end of the day, when the food stands had packed up and only some of the previously massive crowd had stayed behind for the last performances. Performers stood up on stage and waved goodbye to the crowd, as people began milling out from the venue. But this wasn’t a last sendoff or a final farewell: this festival had run for 11 years prior, starting 2 years after the 3.11 disaster, and just as the sanma that the festival celebrates rings in the autumn this year, so will they next year, and the next after that.

I’ve done my best here to try and capture the feelings I had at this festival, both with my words and my pictures – but I can’t possibly give you the true feeling of being there. I can show you the rows of sanma sizzling on the grills, but I can’t bring you their aroma or flavor. I can show you racks of scallops and oysters cooking, but I can’t surround you with the sound and sweltering heat filling that tent. I can let you see pictures of the dancers, individual slices of time taken from their dance, but I can’t show you their elegance, or make you feel their presence on the stage.

If any of what I’ve just said has intrigued you, if any of it makes you interested in what exactly I’m having so much trouble communicating – be sure to come next year, on August 31st. Both the festival and the sanma will surely be waiting for you.