In the small town of Hinase in Okayama Prefecture, local firefighters recreate a famous samurai naval battle with fire hoses onboard small ships.

The firefighters divide into two teams under red and white banners representing the Samurai clans of the Heike and the Genji. They board small boats in the harbor and then at a signal begin blasting water at the other team on the other side. If this were July many people would want to participate but firefighters in Japan have a long reputation of machismo so naturally this event is done at the beginning of February.

The battle being recreated is the naval battle at Dan-no-ura fought in 1185. The Heike and Genji had been at war with each other for five years and Dan-no-ura was to be their last great conflict. The Heike were sea-farers and pirate quellers so they dominated the battle at the beginning with their naval expertise. A defector though went over to the Genji and informed them of the Heike’s strategies and the location of their flagship. The tide as well turned against the Heike and they were utterly defeated.

Many Heike warriors threw themselves into the sea and it is said that crabs with human-like faces on their shells are still caught to this day and thrown back as unlucky for consumption. Their ghosts were also said to have haunted the area for generations and had a fabled encounter with a blind musician but that is a story for another day.

The leader of the Genji, Minamoto no Yoritomo, went on to found the first shogunate government ushering in the rule of the samurai class which lasted 700 years.

The firefighter recreation lasts 15-20 minutes then the water cannons are aimed skyward shooting out multi-colored streams of water forming a kind of rainbow of water. The festival is done to pray for good luck and fortune for the coming year.

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