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Aoi Matsuri festival in Kyoto 2024: 葵祭英語で説明

THE GIST OF THIS ARTICLE

The following is the contents of this article.

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Schedule 2023 (Postponed)

The parade 路頭の儀

In 2023, the parade takes place on 5/16.

On 5/16, the parade departs at 10:30 (Kyoto Imperial Palace) and arrives at Kamigamo shrine at 15:30. Tickets for reservation seats are valid on 5/16. No refund available.

Ceremonies at shrines 社頭の儀

  • Shimogamo shrine 下鴨神社・・・5/15 10:00 Website
  • Kamigamo shrine 上賀茂神社・・・5/15 Hondensai 本殿祭・9:00 Chokusai 勅祭11:00 Facebook page
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Breaking 2023

In case of rain

Around 6 a.m., twitter or facebook page of Kyoto City Official Travel Guide will tell us whether the parade takes place.

In 2023, the parade takes place on 5/16.

5/12 Mikage Matsuri

Mikage Matsuri took place and the priests brought the spirit of the deity to Shimogamo

shrine.

Ceremonies prior to Aoi Matsuri in “Golden Week” 賀茂競馬、斎王代、流鏑馬神事

たけちよ
たけちよ

In so-called “Goden Week,” Kamo Kurabeuma, Saiohday Gyokei no Gi, and Yabusame took place for the first time in four years.

Aoi Matsuri will take place for the first time in 4 years!!!

In 2023, Shato no Gi and Roto no Gi take place for the first time in four years. Saioh dai Gyokei no Gi is to be held in Kamigamo shrine.

Saiohdai Gyokei no Gi 2024 at Shimogamo shrine: The most famous ritual prior to Aoi matsuri festival in Kyoto
Saiohdai Gyokei no Gi 2024 is one of the most important rituals held prior to Aoi matsuri festival. In this article, we learn about Gyokei no Gi in historical point of view and who is Saioh/Saiohdai.

京都混雑状況2023年1月

たけちよ
たけちよ

Kamo Kurabeuma and Ashizoroe Shiki also take place.

Ashizoroeshiki of Kamokurabeuma, the ritual prior to Aoi matutsuri festival 2022
This is the absolute guide of Ashizoroeshiki of Kamokurebeuma 2022 held at Kamigamo shrine. It is an important ritual of Aoi matsuri festival in Kyoto.
賀茂競馬2023:葵祭前儀@上賀茂神社
2023年、上賀茂神社で行われる賀茂競馬(かもくらべうま)の歴史、やりかた・勝敗の決し方、ビデオでみる実際の様子、その他の儀式など、宇宙一詳細に解説いたします。

Crowded? 混雑状況

下鴨神社流鏑馬神事2023

七里ヶ浜親方
七里ヶ浜親方

Yabusame Shinji, Saioh dai Gyokei no Gi, and Kamokurabeuma took place as planned. These ceremonies was SO CROWDED. I suppose Aoi Matsuri festival is gonna be オニのようにCROWDED.

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Reservation seat to enjoy Aoi Matsuri 2023年の有料観覧席は4月4日に販売開始

Check the website of Kyoto Kanko Navi (in Japanese).

  • Seats in front row  一般席最前列 4,500円
  • Seats in other rows  一般席二列目以降 3,500円
  • Special seat with audio guide in front row  (Shimogamo shrine only)まなび席最前列 9,500円
  • Special seat with audio guide in front row (Shimogamo shrine only) まなび席二列目以降 8,500円
たけちよ
たけちよ

Reservation seats are available at Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrine.

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Do not miss みどころ

  • Saioh dai and Parade・・・The parade brings us back to Heian period.(Page 3)
  • Miare Shinji・・・Nigi Mitama and Aramitama are fused and the deity of Kamo reborn anew. (Mikage Matsuri)
  • Kaeshi Norito・・・Chokushi, the messenger of Emperor, reads Norito to the deity and the deity replies. (Page 4)
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Shedule 葵祭日程

Ceremonies prior to Aoi Matsuri 前儀

期日 行事名
5/1 Ashizoroe Shiki
5/3 Yabuzame Shinji
5/4 Saihoda Gyokei no Gi
5/5 Busha Shinji
Kamo Kurabeuma
5/7 Kencha Sai
5/12 Mikage Matsuri
Miare Shinji
5/14 Biwako Katada Kugonin Gyoretsu
Funa Hoken Sai

The Parade 葵祭当日 5月15日

10:30 Kenreimon
10:50 Sakaimach Gomon
11:15 Kawarmachi Imadegawa
11:40 Arrives Shimogamo shrine
Shato no Gi
14:20 Departs Shimogamo shrine
14:40 Rakuhoku High Scholl
14:55 Kitaoji Bashi bridge
15:30 Arrives Kamigamo shrine

Ceremonies after Aoi Matsuri 後儀

期日 行事名
5/17 Kencha Sai at Kamigamo shrine
5/21 Kencha Sai at Shimogamo shrine
5/28  Sencha Kencha Sai at Kamigamo shrine
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What is Aoi matsuri festival?

葵祭2017

Aoi matsuri festival is formally called “Kamo sai festival” because Kamo shrines hold it. The word “Kamo shrines” means Shimogamo shrine and Kamigamo shrine.

Shimogamo shrine’s formal name is “Kamo mioya jinjya shrine” and that of Kamigamo shrine is “Kamo wake Ikazuchi jinjya shrine”. Both of them has “Kamo”, so we call both shrines “Kamo shrine” as a whole.

These shrines hold Aoi matsuri festival on the second “bird day (We put Chinese zodiac signs like bird, tiger, and other animals on the days in calendar.)” on May of ancient Japanese lunar calendar. In the present day, they hold it on 15th on May.

Aoi matsuri festival is one of “The three famous festivals in Kyoto (the others are Gion matsuri festival and Jidai matsuri festival)” and also known as one of “The three famous Chokusai in Japan”

Chokusai is a matsuri (festival) held under the order from the Imperial court. At Chokusai, the emperor sends “Chokushi”, the messenger of the Emperor to a shrine that holds Chokusai. Of course in Aoi matsuri, the emperor sends “Chokushi” to Kamo shrines.

御蔭祭2016

In Heian period, “Matsuri” means nothing but Kamo sai festival among aristocrats. In Edo period, poeple called Kamo sai festival “Aoi matsuri” gradually because the participants of Kamo sai festival put leaves of Aoi, the crests of these shrine, on their outfits.

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The history of Aoi matsuri festival

The history of Aoi matsuri dates back to 6th century and it was called Kamo Sai, the Matusri of Kamosha.

七里ヶ浜親方
七里ヶ浜親方

Kamosha means Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrine.

In the era of emperor Kinnmei, there were many natural disasters and droughts. The emperor asked a fortune-teller about the cause. (Japanese emperor is the highest ranked priest in Shinto, the religion which has gratitude for the nature that gives us harvest. So, if anything wrong about the nature occurred, he is responsible for it.) The fortune-teller told him the cause of the natural disasters and droughts. It was a curse of Kami (Shinto Deity ) of Kamo. The emperor asked him to hold a ritual to ease the Kami of Kamo. This is the begging of Aoi matsuri feitival (Kamo sai).

シカさん
シカさん

It is not “curse” exactly. In old Japanese, “deities curse the country” means that rituals don’t take place and the country doesn’t work as expected.

In Heian period (794-1185), Kamo sai was held as one of the most important matsuri (festival) on the ancient Japanese law.

In Muromachi period (1336–1573), aristocrats was losing their power and influences and Kamo sai was on the decline. After “Onin no ran”, the largest-scale civil war in ancient time of Japan, Kamo sai ceased to exist. In Edo period(1603–1868), the matsuri (festival) was held again but stopped again in Meiji period(1868–1912). In the short time in Meiji and Showa period(1926–1989), the matsuri (festival) was held but stopped again during the WWll. In the end, the festival restored in 1953.

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In Shinbutsu Shugo

Kamosai don’t allow the co-existence of Shinto and Buddhism (Shimbutsu Shugo). In the Sharyo ( lands belong to shrines) of Kamosya, there were no Buddhist temples except their Jingujis (Buddhist temples belong to Shrine) and the monks of them were not allowed to enter Sharyo.

In 1649, Kamo Sai and Mikage matsuri were restored and these monks made a complaint. The Imperial court and Tokugawa Shogunate asked the reason to Kamosha.

It replied, “天下之通則也.”

七里ヶ浜親方
七里ヶ浜親方

The sentence means “Obvious. No wonder, isn’t it?”

And it also said “due to this, Saioh uses Imikotoba.”

シカさん
シカさん

Imikotoba means words not to be used in a situation where something bad or evil must be avoided. Saioh was a priestess who served for deities of Kamo and had to be free from these words.

In the end, they maintained the custom.

七里ヶ浜親方
七里ヶ浜親方

In contrast to Gion Matsuri, it’s SO interesting. In Gion Matsuri, we cannot separate Shinto and Buddhism. The earliest Gion Matsuri is called Gion Goryoe.  Gorye is a Buddhist ceremony. Gion Goryoe started for the purpose of getting rid of a cause of the epidemics and natural the disasters in 863. The cause was a curse of Gozutenno.

Ancient people thought curse of someone, including deities, brought them bad things like epidemics and natural disasters. That is an idea hiding behind Shinto (primitive one) and indigenous to Japan.

In Japan, Buddhism was imported from India in the 6th century. Since then, Shinto and Buddhism started to fuse. This phenomena is called Shibutsu-Shugo and Gion Goryoe in 863 is considered as a good example of the maturity of it.

On the other hand, Kamo Sai refused Shibutsu-Shugo. In Kamo Sai, a cause of natural disasters is a curse of the deities of Kamo. And Kamo Sai tries to get rid of the cause only in Shinto-way.