Gion Matsuri

The Nihongo|Gion Festival|祇園祭|Gion Matsuri takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It spans the entire month of July and is crowned by a parade, the nihongo|"Yamaboko Junkō"|山鉾巡行| on July 17.

Kyoto's downtown area is reserved for pedestrian traffic on the three nights leading up to the massive parade. These nights are known as "yoiyama" (宵山) on July 16th, "yoiyoiyama" (宵々山) on July 15th, and "yoiyoiyoiyama" (宵々々山) on July 14th. The streets are lined with night stalls selling food such as "yakitori" (barbecued chicken skewers), "taiyaki", "takoyaki", "okonomiyaki", traditional Japanese sweets, and many other culinary delights. Many girls dressed in "yukata" (summer kimono) walk around the area, carrying with them traditional purses and paper fans.

During the "yoiyama" eves leading up to the parade, some private houses in the old kimono merchant district open their entryways to the public, exhibiting valuable family heirlooms, in a custom known as the "Byōbu Matsuri", or Folding Screen Festival. This is a precious opportunity to visit and observe traditional Japanese residences of Kyoto.

History

This festival originated as part of a purification ritual ("goryo-e") to appease the gods thought to cause fire, floods and earthquakes. In 869, the people were suffering from plague and pestilence which was attributed to the rampaging deity Nihongo|Gozu Tennō|牛頭天王. Emperor Seiwa ordered that the people pray to the god of the Yasaka Shrine, Susanoo-no-mikoto. Sixty-six stylized and decorated halberds, one for each province in old Japan, were prepared and erected at Shinsen-en, a garden, along with the portable shrines ("mikoshi") from Yasaka Shrine.

This practice was repeated wherever an outbreak occurred. In 970, it was decreed an annual event and has since seldom been broken. Over time the increasingly powerful and influential merchant class made the festival more elaborate and, by the Edo Period (1603-1868), used the parade to brandish their wealth.

In 1533, the Ashikaga shogunate halted all religious events, but the people protested, stating that they could do without the rituals, but not the procession. This marks the progression into the festival's current form. Smaller floats that were lost or damaged over the centuries have been restored, and the weavers of the Nishijin area offer new tapestries to replace destroyed ones. When not in use, the floats and regalia are kept in special storehouses throughout the central merchant district of Kyoto in the care of the local people.

chedule of events

Following is a list of selected events of Gion Matsuri every year.
* July 1 through 5 - "Kippuiri", opening ceremony of festival, in each participating neighbourhood
* July 2 - "Kujitorishiki", lottery for the parade order, in the municipal assembly hall
* July 7 - Shrine visit by "chigo" children of "Ayagasaboko"
* July 10 - Lantern parade to welcome "mikoshi" portable shrines
* July 10 - "Mikoshi arai", cleansing of "mikoshi" by sacred water from the Kamo River
* July 10 through 13 - Building-up of floats
* July 13 a.m. - Shrine visit by "chigo" children of "Naginataboko"
* July 13 p.m. - Shrine visit by "chigo" children of Kuse Shrine
* July 14 - "Yoiyoiyoiyama"
* July 15 - "Yoiyoiyama"
* July 16 - "Yoiyama"
* July 16 - "Yoimiya shinshin hono shinji", dedicative art performances
* July 17 - Parade of "yamaboko" floats
* July 17 - Parade of "mikoshi" from Yasaka Shrine to the city
* July 24 - Parade of "hanagasa" or "flower parasols"
* July 24 - Parade of "mikoshi" from the city to Yasaka Shrine
* July 28 - "Mikoshi arai", cleansing of "mikoshi" by sacred water from the Kamo river
* July 31 - Closing service at Eki Shrine

Yamaboko float details

The floats in the Yoiyama Parade are divided into two groups, Hoko and Yama, and are collectively called Yamaboko (or Yamahoko). There are 9 of the larger Hoko (long pole or halberd) which represent the 66 spears used in the original purification ritual, and 23 of the smaller Yama which carry life-size figures of famous and important people. All the floats are decorated with beautiful tapestries both from Nishijin (the finest in all of Japan) and imported from all over the world. In addition to the art, there are many traditional musicians and artists sitting in the floats.

Each year the families that maintain the floats draw lots at a special meeting to determine what order they will take in the festival. These lots are issued at a special ceremony before the parade, during which the Mayor of Kyoto dons the robes of a magister. On the "Naginata Hoko" is the "chigo", a young boy in Shinto robes and crowned by a golden phoenix, chosen from among the Kyoto merchant families as the deity's sacred page. After weeks of special purification ceremonies, during which he lives isolated from contaminating influences such as the presence of women, he is carried atop the float as he is not permitted to touch the ground. The boy must cut a sacred rope ("shimenawa") with a single stroke to begin the matsuri.

Hoko floats

*Weight: about 12,000 kg
*Height: about 25 m from ground to tip / 8 m from ground to roof
*Wheel diameter: about 1.9 m
*Attendants: about 30-40 pulling during procession, usually 2 men piloting with wedges

Yama floats

*Height: about 6 m
*Weight: 1,200 – 1,600 kg
*Attendants: 14-24 people to pull, push or carry

External links

* " [http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/kp/koto/gion/2007/jyunban/jyunban.html List of Floats for 2007] " (Japanese)
* " [http://flickr.com/photos/wwcphotos/sets/72157600835567636/ Photo set of Gion Matsuri 2007] "