What is Gion Matsuri?
One of the important annual festivals of Kyoto, Gion Matsuri floats Japan is connected to Yasaka Jinja shrine. The month-long festival takes place in July, with two main dates, the 17th and 24th of July, having traditional processions in downtown Kyoto. On the two to three days leading up to the parades, these smaller streets around will come alive with a warm summer atmosphere as decorated floats are prepared for the parades.
Four “Yamahoko” floats for Kyoto’s famed Gion Festival, topped with towering wooden poles reaching over 20 meters in height, made an appearance on the streets after being assembled and furnished with decorative objects.
Excitement builds as the Niwatori Hoko, a stunning centerpiece of the Kyoto Gion Festival, unveils its beautifully restored brocaded draperies this July 17.
This was demonstrated today with the ancient technique of fastening the joining parts of the wooden structure of a float by wrapping thick straw rope around the joints and tightening them together. An example is the long “shingi” pole, decorated with ornaments, inserted in the wooden structure, and hoisted high up in the air. A series of techniques unfolded with the float gradually becoming assembled, reflecting a statement from the Gion Festival Yamahoko Float Federation that this summer’s float-building would happen to “pass down traditional skills.
Enjoy the Gion Festival like a local and spend a memorable summer vacation in Kyoto
In a related ritual to purify the upcoming festivities, “mikoshi” portable shrines were taken out of storehouses at the city’s Yasaka Shrine on the evening of July 10 and purified in the water of the Kamo River. It was the first time in two years that the mikoshi shrines had lined up in front of the main shrine building, as the purification ritual was held last year with them kept inside the storehouses. The mikoshi shrines will be left outside until July 28.
Witness the debut of the stunningly flamboyant festival float and immerse yourself in local culture this summer
Probably the best season in Japan to join a matsuri is during the summer months. July and August are the hottest months of the year, with these popular festivals everywhere in Japan. Some of the great festivals in the Kansai region include the Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka and the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto. The origin of the festival dates as far back as the 9th century when Kyoto was seriously hit by a flood during Tsuyu, the rainy season, in combination with a plague brought about by dirty water and soggy weather. Therefore, Yasaka Jinja shrine decided to hold a parade with a small sacred religious palanquin, called mikoshi, through the streets to rid them of ill luck and wish for finer health for Kyoto’s residents.
Since 2014, two floats processions with decorations have occurred during July:
Saki Matsuri, July 17: This is the “former celebration” in which gods leave Yasaka Jinja and go out into the city’s streets to purify and bestow blessings. This vital parade is called Yamaboko-Junko.
Ato Matsuri, July 24: This is the “after celebration” in which gods take the reverse journey to return to the shrine.
Additionally, the parade uses symbolic items inside the mikoshi and ritual songs to draw bad spirits. These are then immediately torn apart at the end of the festival so that the spirits stay forever locked inside.
The path is the same for both days: Between Shijo, Kawaramachi, and Oike-dori streets (between Karasuma, Kawaramachi, Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae, and Karasuma-Oike stations).
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