Started in the year 869 and held every July, the Gion Matsuri is arguably Japan’s most famous festival. Held in central Kyoto, its original purpose was to appease angry spirits who, people believed, were punishing townspeople with epidemics. As time went by, it became an opportunity for Kyotoites to celebrate, show their wealth, and bedazzle one another with rare artistic splendor.
The
Gion Festival lasts the entire month of July. Highlights include processions of
yamaboko floats and portable mikoshi shrines on July 17 and 24, with
massive street parties—called yoiyama—during the preceding nights.
During the Folding Screen subfestival (or Byobu Matsuri), local families
and businesses display their historic treasures with the public.
Although the Gion Festival in Kyoto is well documented, it is massive and can
be challenging to navigate. Knowing about its major features may help you enjoy
it more. Read this blog to discover some of the main aspects of Japan’s most
popular festival.
#1.
Saki Matsuri (July 10-17)
The Saki Matsuri or “Early Festival”
marks the first half of the Gion Matsuri’s main part. During the Saki Matsuri, Kyoto
townspeople prepare to welcome the resident deities from nearby Yasaka Shrine in
the Gion neighborhood. The deities are brought to stay in central Kyoto for a
week, to purify downtown neighborhoods, residents, and visitors.
To prepare, each of
23 downtown Kyoto neighborhoods builds their own beautiful festival float, celebrating
a deity or theme. Float construction and decoration begin July 12, radiating
out from the major Karasuma Shijo intersection. Crowds gather during the nights
of July 14, 15, and 16 in huge street parties known as yoiyama.
On July 17, the yamaboko floats are pulled through Kyoto streets in a major procession. According to Shinto, Japan’s nature-based spirituality, the floats’ deities, music, and dance purify the streets to get them ready for the Yasaka Shrine deities to come. The Shinto-based Yasaka Shrine is the patron shrine of the entire Gion Matsuri, so its deities are the main Gion Matsuri deities too. The night of July 17 sees a procession called the shinkosai. Hundreds of shouting men carry the spectacular (and very heavy) mikoshi portable shrines from Yasaka Shrine in the Gion neighborhood to central Kyoto. The shrines remain in downtown Kyoto for a week, until the Ato Matsuri—the second half of the main Gion Matsuri—formally sends them back to Yasaka Shrine.
#2.
Ato Matsuri (July 18-24)
The Ato Matsuri or “Later Festival” finishes the major Gion Matsuri ritual, begun by the Saki Matsuri. Kyoto townspeople bid farewell to the main festival deities before they are returned to the Yasaka Shrine in Gion. This time, 11 neighborhood communities each build and decorate a yamaboko float from July 20. As in the Saki Matsuri, each float has its own deity or theme, in addition to the main Gion Matsuri deities visiting from Yasaka Shrine. For several days until the Ato Matsuri procession on July 24, visitors can enjoy the beautiful art that has adorned the floats over the centuries, the festival music and dance, and general festival ambience. The Byobu Matsuri is especially strong during the Ato Matsuri, with some neighborhood communities coordinating to present beautiful displays of private treasures to the public. There are also yoiyama informal street parties on the three nights prior to the procession on July 24, when thousands of visitors enjoy the Gion Festival sights and sounds. Generally, since the number of floats is about half compared to the Saki Matsuri, the Ato Matsuri is more relaxed and less crowded. Like the Saki Matsuri in reverse, the yamaboko floats procession on July 24 wows spectators with the floats’ massive beauty. It also prepares the downtown Kyoto streets for the return of the Yasaka Shrine deities to their home. That night, in a procession called the kankosai, the deities are carried in their three portable mikoshi shrines on the shoulders of hundreds of calling men, back to Yasaka Shrine.
#3. Expression of Local Pride
The Gion Matsuri
Yamaboko Procession was one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Events, listed as
“Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Its artistic treasures include the finest of
Japanese artistic expression, as well as textiles from around the world. It maintains
remarkable cultural diversity balanced with the enduring pride of the local
communities.
Enjoy the processions, summer festival street food, people watching, the Folding Screen Festival, Japanese cuisine and other sights during the Gion Festival. It will be a unique and wonder-filled experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
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