"Hokotate," or float assembly, is progressing in both Shimogyo and Nakagyo Wards, Kyoto, as the Gion Festival's Yamahoko Junko procession approaches. On July 11, "Yagura," or the wooden frameworks for supporting hoko floats, were lined up on the road around the Shijo-Karasuma area, and "Shingi," the main poles that stand over 20 meters tall atop some hoko floats, towered high over the business district.

The assembly work started in the early morning of July 10, and by the morning of July 11, a total of eight float bodies, including the Naginata Hoko, Kanko Boko, Tsuki Hoko, and others, had already been built up. Artisans called "Daiku-gata" or "Tetsudai-kata" are in charge of this work. The frameworks are built up with a traditional technique called "Nawa-garami," in which parts are fixed tightly together, without nails, using only straw ropes. The knots have distinctive shapes, such as butterflies or lobsters.

The Shingi pole of the Kanko Boko float, which is approximately 22 meters tall and consists of Japanese cypress trees grafted by a bamboo pole, was decorated with head ornaments and sacred leaves. Then, around 11:00a.m., the Shingi pole was inserted into the float body lying on the ground, and the Kanko Boko float was pulled up by a crane wire. Once the Shingi pole was standing upright, spectators burst into applause.

"Hikizome," or the first pullings of the huge floats, were performed in the afternoon on July 12 and 13. All 32 Yamahoko floats were completed by July 14.