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Gion Matsuri, Japan's Three Great Festivals
There are many summer festivals in Japan, and among them, the Gion, Tenjin and Kanda festivals are known as the "Three Great Festivals".
Each of these three festivals has its own special characteristics and are held in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo, with the Gion Festival in Kyoto being the most worthwhile one to visit.
Why is the Gion Festival in Kyoto the most worthwhile?
For one thing, the Gion Festival lasts for a long time, starting on July 1 and ending on July 31 every year, a super-long event of close to 30 days, and although it happens once a year, fewer people miss it.
Secondly, the Gion Festival, which has been passed down from the Heian period, is not exactly the same as in the canonical texts, but in this part of Kyoto, it is surprisingly well preserved, so that even if there is a little bit of modern architecture in the surrounding area, it won't jump out of the scene when you are enjoying the festival.
Finally, each stage of the Gion Festival has something very different to see. The welcome lanterns, the mikoshi washing ceremony, the night festival and yamahoko parade in front of the festival, the umbrella parade in the festival, and the summer festival of the Epidemic Shrine are some of the highlights that should not be missed.
The Gion Festival is not only the grandest of all summer festivals in Japan, but also a very important cultural card in Japanese tourism. At this time of year, the whole of Kyoto is transformed into one big party place, and it seems as if Kyoto is the only time of the year when it comes out of its quiet, elegant atmosphere and back into the bustle of Japan's number one capital under the long course of time.
🤗 Gion Festival - Parade of the Gods
Unlike the previous two days' Hanabi Matsuri topics, to attend the Gion Matsuri, it is important to understand the historical lineage of the event.
Gion Matsuri, pronounced ぎおんまつり in Japanese, originated in 869 AD during the Heian Period. At that time, many people were killed by the plague in Japan, and the aristocracy held a gion at Yasaka Shrine in order to pray for good luck and relief from the plague.
At that time, Japan was divided into 66 clans, and each of the 66 clans was asked to build a moko (fish-boko) car and send it to Shinzen-en in Kyoto to pray for the dispersal of the plague.
At first, this event was held only after a plague or disaster, but in 970, it became a regular annual event, which was loved by the Japanese people and the nobility alike, and a series of regular events were gradually formed.
The whole festival starts from the "Kichibutsu Izumi" on July 1 every year, and continues until the "Epidemic Shrine Natsukoshi Matsuri" on July 31, of which many people will surely talk about the main event on the 17th - the Yamaboko Parade. -Yamaboko (surimi) parade.
You can simply understand why this is the most important day, as it is the day when the Japanese gods go out and parade around the streets to get rid of evil spirits and suppress evil spirits.
2024 Gion Festival Schedule
7/1-5 Auspicious symbol entry: representing the start of the Gion Festival
7/2 Drawing of lots (to determine the order of the kamaboko parade)
7/10 Mikoshi-tidori (welcoming lanterns) Mikoshi washing ceremony (mikoshi washing ceremony)
7/12-13 Maezai Festival: Trying to pull the kamaboko rope (kamaboko tsuki-hatsumi)
7/14-16 Maezai Festival (Curfew Mountain Screen Festival)
7/17 Mae-matsuri Yamaboko parade Shinko-matsuri (Shinko Festival)
7/20 After Festival: Trying to pull a kamaboko rope (Yamahoko taki-hatsumode)
7/20 After-school festival
7/24 After festival Yamaboko parade Hanaboko parade Fukiyo Festival
7/28 Mikoshi (portable shrine) washing ceremony (mikoshi washing ceremony)
7/31 Epidemic Shrine Natsukoshi Festival: represents the end of the Gion Festival.
🤗 Gion Festival - Highlights
Once the above is clear, let's talk about the various stages of the festival in more detail.
Every year, from July 1 to 5, the "Kichibukuri" symbolizes the start of the festival, during which a lottery is held, usually on the 2nd at the Kyoto City Hall, to determine the order of the yamaboko parade, of which there are a few fixed positions, such as the first one for nagahoko (a long knife floated on a fishbowl). (This stage is similar to preparations, and there is some dressing up on the streets, not much else can be seen.)
On July 10, there will be the first ceremony that spectators can see: the Oyashiki Lantern Carrying Ceremony and the Mikoshi (portable shrine) Washing Ceremony.
Gyojin Toro: Hundreds of men, women, and children carrying lanterns parade around Yasaka Shrine, Shijo Kawaramachi, and Ichiyakusho, accompanied by ancient and tranquil music. (Usually starts around 5:00 p.m.)
Mikoshi washing ceremony: Before the mikoshi departs, a torch burning ceremony is performed. Hundreds of men depart from Yasaka Shrine and head for Shijo Ohashi Bridge, which is meant to purify the area that the mikoshi will pass through. When the mikoshi arrives at the Shijo Ohashi Bridge, the mikoshi is washed with water from the Kamogawa River between two bamboos. (Usually at 8:00 pm)
Then there is the "Night Festival of Night Mountain" held from the 14th to the 16th, where people and tourists can visit various floats parked in Kyoto City at night, and a night market is held on several main streets, filled with traditional Japanese snacks and various games, which is a very lively event. This is a sort of warm-up before the event starts, and the atmosphere is quite nice.
The "Yamaboko Parade" on the 17th is the most important event of the festival. There are two types of floats in the parade, yamaboko and kamaboko, which are decorated with fabrics, dyed cloth, statues, and other delicate artifacts, and are called "moving art museums.
"The yamaboko is a relatively small, single-story, roofless float decorated with pine trees and wooden statues of gods and goddesses that express a certain storyline. Most of the floats are decorated with pine trees and wooden idols are placed on them to represent certain stories. The floats are generally five or six meters high from the ground to the top of the tree, and they are relatively light in weight.
The "kamaboko" is much taller, often as high as 20 to 30 meters from the ground to the top, weighing as much as ten tons, and must be pulled by the concerted efforts of all. "The kamaboko is a two-story building with a large space on the upper floor and a roof that resembles a beautifully decorated kotatsu (pavilion).
Each yamaboko and kamaboko has a different story, some are from Japan, some are from China, and each one has a different aspect of praying for blessings.
For example, the first one to go out every year is the Naga-kamaboko, which is decorated with a big long sword, which is also the origin of the name of Naga-kamaboko. The big long sword has the meaning of driving away evil and epidemics, which is why it is the first one to go out. It is also the first to start the journey. The prayer for blessing is to get rid of the evil disease.
For example, the story of Yu Bo Ya is about a Chinese man who "thanked his soulmate for dropping his zither". Yu Boya was good at playing and Zhong Ziqi was good at appreciating. This is the origin of the word "soulmate". When Zhong Ziqi died of an illness, Yu Bo Ya was so sad that he thought his soulmate had died and there would be no one else in the world who could appreciate his music as much as Zhong Ziqi did. He thought that no one else in the world would be able to realize the meaning of his music as Zhong Ziqi did, so he broke his zither and stopped playing it for the rest of his life. He prayed for blessings to get rid of bad luck and diseases.
After the 17th, the event will enter the post-festival phase, and the number of people will slowly decrease and the scale will change a bit.
At the Night Festival on the 20th, there will be no more night market snacks, except for floats.
On the 24th, the scale of the festival will be smaller than that of the 17th, and the number of floats will be reduced by about half. During the parade, there will be geisha dancers performing classical dances, which is a major attraction.
There is also a mikoshi washing ceremony on July 28, similar to the previous process.
The Epidemic Shrine Natsukoshi Festival held at Yasaka Shrine on July 31st heralds the end of the Gion Festival.
Although the Gion Festival is held throughout the month, we recommend the days from 17th to 24th～.
🤗 Gion Festival - Tips
1、The Gion Festival is held in the center of Kyoto, and the main events are concentrated in Shijo-dori, Kawaramachi-dori, and Goike-dori.
2、The most important yamahoko parade of the former festival is from 9:00-11:00 a.m. If you go at 8:30 a.m., there will be no more places, so try to go as early as possible.
3, after the festival of flowers and umbrellas parade is 10:00 start, it is best to go a little earlier, and remember to do a good job of sunscreen heat oh, every year there are people heat fainting.
4, every year there are more than one million people to participate, people are really special, have a psychological preparation.
5, looking for the restroom is very troublesome, remember to look ahead of time to see the location, in addition to be prepared to wait in long lines. (If the public one is not available, go to the convenience store and coffee shop)
6, Yamaboko parade a few better shot location: Yamaboko parade starting point (Shijo-dori Sakakyu-Umaru station near), Yamaboko turn (Shijo-dori and Kawaramachi-dori intersection, Kawaramachi-dori and Ike-dori intersection, Sakakyu-Umaru station, opposite to the 11th exit), the end of the yamaboko parade (near the subway Karasumaru Bathhouse station).
7、It is more recommended to rent a set of yukata for the experience, stroll through the quaint streets and feel the atmosphere of the festival with the locals.
8、Kyoto dumpling bread and giant meat buns are the limited food for this event, so be sure to try them.
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/culture-19
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