A leading nebuta lantern artist has been painting pictures on fire hydrants in a shopping district in central Aomori.
This year's Aomori Nebuta Festival, which is usually held in August, was canceled for the first time ever due to the coronavirus. The cancellation deprived Shunichi Kitamura, 39, of the opportunity to create large lanterns for the festival.
"I want to help liven up a city that has been deflated by the coronavirus," he said.
He has painted nebuta images on 10 fire hydrants on Shinmachi Shopping Street.
Kitamura moved to Tokyo after graduating from a vocational school but was drawn back to his hometown by thoughts of the nebuta lanterns.
After moving back, he studied under his father, who is a nebuta artist. It has been 10 years since his debut.
His fire hydrant paintings include an angry asura, a being that appears in Indian mythology and that he painted first among the fire hydrant paintings. He also painted Shoki, a divine being that protects against plagues, which he worked on last year.
Since 1996, fish, nebuta and other images have been painted on Shinmachi Shopping Street fire hydrants along the course the nebuta follow during the festival.
Their colors fading, the district decided in 2012 to start fixing them up. Kitamura was asked to give visitors a taste of nebuta with his paintings.
With this year's festival cancelled, volunteer groups and hotels have held events to support Kitamura and others who are struggling.
"I tried to use expressions that would blend into the streets," he said. "I want to give back to the public through my work."
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