The best-known aspects of the Gion Festival are divided in two parts: the larger saki matsuri (“early festival” from July 10-17) and smaller-scale ato matsuri (“later festival” from July 18-24). While the floats decorate the area around Karasuma Shijo intersection, a parallel celebration called shinkosai relates more to the resident deities at Yasaka Jinja shrine, in the easternmost part of the Gion neighborhood. The saki matsuri peaks on July 17 with the procession or parade of yamaboko floats. That night, thousands of men carry the mikoshi portable shrines on their shoulders, bringing the Yasaka Jinja deities to stay in downtown Kyoto for a week. Originally the Gion Festival included both the saki matsuri and ato matsuri. However, by the 1960s traffic and crowd concerns sparked their amalgamation into one week-long celebration, July 10 – 17. Ironically, the enormous crowds attending the Gion Festival and accompanying logistical challenges formed part of the rationale to separate it again. The Gion Festival returned to its original format in 2014, to the delight of traditionalists who continue to honor the festival’s spiritual meaning.
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