Treasure boats decorated gaily with good-haul flags, banners and bamboo with colorful paper carry young people, festival bands and dancers, using the rising tides to make their way from Konpira Shrine at the mouth of the river to Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine in the heart of the city. Flowing northwest through town, Katsura River serves as a path for winter winds to blow through town when the barometric pressure is high to the west and low to the east, and the boats ride the tailwinds on the way back.

　This festival started during the mid-Edo period. At the time, Takada was an enclave of the Shimabara Clan (Nagasaki Prefecture), and Takada Encampment was located here. It was an important port for cargo ships carrying tributes of rice and supplies to storehouses in Shimabara and Osaka, and the festival originates from prayers for the safe voyage of these ships. It was also meant for wishing for good catches of fish in the Buzen Sea. Similar events are held nearby in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture and Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.