山車

From 出(だ)し (dashi, “go out”), as it is believed that gods ride out on the vehicle.[1] The form だんじり (danjiri) is used in the Kansai area.

• 花車(だし) (dashi)
• 楽車, 地車, 檀尻(だんじり) (danjiri)

A 山車(だんじり) (danjiri) at Saijō Festival in Ehime Prefecture, Japan

山車(だし) or 山車(だんじり) • (dashi or danjiri) 

1. a float; a vehicle used in a festival

   Synonym: 山鉾 (yamaboko)

From Chinese. Attested from the 10th century.[2]

山(さん)車(しゃ) • (sansha) 

1. synonym of 山車 Etymology 1, above
2. a wooden cart that appears spontaneously without being made by man as an auspicious sign of the time of peace and tranquility

• 瑞祥(ずいしょう) (zuishō, “an auspicious sign”)
• 天下太平(てんかたいへい) (tenkataihei, “reign of peace and tranquility”)

山(やま)車(ぐるま) • (yamaguruma) 

1. wheel tree, Trochodendron aralioides

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).