Children perform kabuki. At the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival in April, child kabuki is staged atop ornate floats—boys between roughly five and twelve, in full makeup, striking the great frozen poses of the form. The origin lies with Hideyoshi, when he was lord of Nagahama castle. Overjoyed at the birth of a son, he gave the town gold dust, and the townsfolk used it to build the floats: a festival born, from the start, around children. The floats that serve as stages are themselves magnificent—lacquer and gold and Gobelin tapestry, a moving theatre—and on them the young actors give performances that would shame many adults. They learn every line, rehearsing for months. On the day, a voice may crack, but they carry the role through with complete composure, the audience watching as if each child were their own. It is the proud spring stage of the lake country. UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage.