The portable Shinto shrine processions at the festivals of Taga-Jinja and Hachiman Yakumo-Jinja Shinto Shrines have been carried out since the middle of the Edo period (1603–1867). In the late Edo period, the two shrines’ parishioners built magnificent floats in competition with each other, backed by the economic foundation of the silk industry. The local temple carpenters’ building techniques were combined with the Edo-style doll floats to create Hachioji’s unique float culture.
The enthusiasm of the townspeople for building the floats has been passed down to the present day, and the festival has become widely known as one of the best float festivals in the Kanto region. As the era of construction changes, nineteen Hachioji-style floats of three different styles can be seen being pulled around.