TAKAYAMA COME BACK SPECIAL 2022 in Gion Matsuri!!! 祇園祭鷹山英語で説明

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Introduction

たけちよ

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME BAAAAAAHCK!!!!!

Takayamma is one of the long-lost Yamahoko floats in Gion matsuri. The last time Gozu Tenno, the Deity of Yasaka shrine, laid his eyes on it was 1826. Yamahoko parade was canceled last 2 years due to COVID-19. In 2022, Yamahoko Rengokai gave the green light to the parade and Takayama will come back to it for the first time in 196 years.

I show gratitude and respect those who engage in Gion Matsuri and the revival of Takayama. Congratulations and welcome back. 合掌

奉祝：鷹山復興・祇園祭2023：後祭山鉾巡行

祇園祭の山鉾、鷹山は2022年、196年ぶりに後祭山鉾巡行に復帰します。本稿はこれを奉祝するとともに、関係者の皆様への謝意と敬意を表し、本稿を奏上いたします。合掌

鷹山、並びに関係者の皆様は2022年の巡行への復帰を目途に奮闘されていましたところ、昨年、一昨年と山鉾巡行は新型コロナウイルス感染症の影響で中止となりましたが、本年は3年ぶりに開催が予定されており、196年ぶりに巡行に復帰される運びとなります。関係者の皆様への謝意と敬意を表し、本稿を奏上いたします。合掌

The schedule of Takayama 2022

山建て(Construction of float)	18th 8:00～
曳初め(Test run of float)	20th 　15:00～（excibition only）
会所売店(Souvenirs)	21～23rd　10:00～21:00
会所飾り (The time we can enjoy Kaisho Kazari)	22nd　13:00～22:00 23rd　10:00～22:00
山搭乗の期間（Opportunity to be on the float)	21～23rd　10:00～22:00
駒形提灯の点灯 (When Lanterns lit)	21～23rd　at twilight
二階囃子演奏時間 (Ohayashi music at Kaisyo)	5～10th　19:00～21:00
お囃子の演奏 (Ohayashji music at Yoiyama)	20～23rd　19:00～21:00

Breaking news

7/19

Taka Yama, the Falconry float

Falconry 鷹狩

Takayama is a Yamahoko floats that describes Japanese falconry. In Japan, falconry has over 1,600 years of history. Even today, we can enjoy an exhibition of it in Hamarikyu in Tokyo every January.

When did Yamahoko Parade start? : A short history of Yamahoko parade 山鉾巡行はいつから始まったか英語で説明

Introduction Gion Matsuri festival is famours for Yamahoko floats and their parade lures lots of people to the ancient c...

たけちよ

Takayama is a Hikiyama. Make sure the types of Yamahoko floats.

Why falconry?

Most of Yamahoko floats have a topic on Japanese mythology, anecdotes, and so on. Takayama was born around 15th century. Many Yamahoko floats of the time was invented on plays of Noh.

At that time, town community gave birth to Yamahoko floats and Noh was a popular play among them because it shows citizens ancient stories, pieces of Waka and Kansi.

On the other hand, the topic of Takayama is a falconry. Falconry was popular among Shoguns and aristocrats, not among citizens. No one can tell the reason why it was taken as the topic.

七里ヶ浜親方

Most of the Yamahoko float we can see today was belong to town communities. Before Ohnin no Ran, the largest civil war in Japanese history, there were lots of floats belonged to Za, the Japanese guild. After the war, they were not able to Yamahoko Parade due to lots of reaosons, especially financial ones.

The Goshintai figurines 御神体

Narrow escape

Takayama has three Goshintai figurines: Taka Tsukai with a falcon, Inu Tsukai with a dog, Taruoi, and Taruoi. As describe later, Takayama caught fire in 1864. It lost many parts of the float but these figurines and belongings escaped the fire narrowly because they were stored in a basement.

たけちよ

The figurine of Ho-oh of Kinkakuji also had a narrow escape.

Takatsukai 鷹遣

He has a falcon figurine in his left hand. In his right hand, he has a stick. We can’t tell what it is because of the tip piece is missing. It could be a tool to take care of the falcon’s wings. In his back, he has a small basket with foods of the falcon.

In traditional Japanese falconry, when the falcon returns to Takatsukai with a game, he takes it and gives the falcon the food in the basket instead.

Inutsukai and dog 犬遣とわんこ

He is with a dog. In traditional Japanese falconry, dogs are not retrievers. They they run into bushes or woods to forces games out of them.

NOT retrievers? Really?

Takayama used to be a figurine of a pheasant but no one knows where it is today.

Taruoi 樽負

He wears a box on his back and has Chimaki in his hands.

The box has Mokko Mon, the crest of Yasaka shrine.

Chimaki is known as amulet today but it originally is a food. At Gion Matsuri, Kusonushiyama sells eatable Chimaki.

お福さん

In early May, lots of Chimakis are available at grocery stores.

Some old documents say that it has a built-in gadget to move both of his arms to pretend to eat it.

Gion Bayashi of Takayama 鷹山の祇園囃子

A short history of Takayama

Before Ohnin no Ran (At least the 15th century)

We can tell when did Takayama participate in Yamahoko parde. The oldest record is 『祇園社記(Gion Sha Ki)』, the historical record of Gion sha temple. Takayama is in a group of Yamahoko floats which existed before Ohnin no Ran(1467-1477). Taka Tsukai , Inu Tsukai, and Taruoi are in Karusans, the Portuguese outfits. The dog has a white coat.

The 16th century

We are not sure how it looked like. The oldest record is a picture called 「日吉山王・祇園祭礼図屏風 (Hiyosi Sannno Gion Raisaizu Byobu」. Takayama has the four figurines, two Yamados, and dancers are on it.

In the floor, there are Yamados. Yamado is a something like tent on some Yamahoko floats and it has a pine tree on its top (see the photo above). Takayama had small one and large one, at the front side. Each of them has a pine tree. Takatsukai and Inutsukai are in the back of the Yamados. Near the small Yamado, Taruoi is behind of it and the dog is on the Yamado.

七里ヶ浜親方

Kuronushi yama still has two Yamados . As revealed in the following, other floats with two Yamados were developed into floats with one Yamado.

The dancers indicates that Takayama is Hikiyama (Yama with four wheels), not Kakiyama though the lower part of it is hidden in the picture: Kakiyama is carried by people like Mikoshi. Without wheels , we couldn’t carry a floats with large floor enough to have dancers on. As other Hikiyama, Takayama didn’t have a roof(s).

The 17th century

「祇園礼祭図巻 (Gion Rasisai Zukan)」painted in the late 17th century shows us that Takayana had only one Yamado with a pine tree. Taka Tsukai , Inu Tsukai, and Taruoi were in Samurai outfits. The dog was on the Yamado and had a spotted coat as we see today.

The 18th century

Koromodana-cho dsitrict has the balance sheets of Gion Matsuri. It tells us the incomes and the expenses from 1739 to 1814. It indicates that Takayama gained a roof in 1742.

A picture in 『祇園会細記』 (Gion-e Saiki)」, issued in 1757, shows us how it looked. It was a small roof over the Goshintai figurines at the front of the floor. The roof is a simple one and not the ones we can find in Hikiyamas today. Yamado was not covered with the roof.

シカさん

Compared to the roofs of Hikiyamas today, it is a primitive. But it was a sophisticated one at that time. The roof of other Hikiyamas was like a camping tent. On the other hand, the one of Takayama had a wooden roof.

Many documents Koromodana-cho has reveals that Takayama gained another roof over the Yamado in 1782.

Tenemei no Taika fire in the 18th century

In January of 1788, a small fire broke out. In the end, it burned Kyoto out. Five months later, only 12 of 34 Yamahoko floats, including Takayama, paraded. Takayama lost wheels due to the fire and took part in it as Kakiyama.

Many documents and pictures indicates that Takayama put the two roofs into a huge one after the fire but we are not sure when it took pace exactly.

The 19th century

The last time Gozutenno saw Takayama

In 1826, Takayama took part in Yamahoko Parade in typhoon and wrecked.

Genji no Taika fire in the 19th century.

Since 1826, the parts of Takayama stored in a warehouse belonged to Koromodana district. In 1864, Kinnonn no Hen, a rebellion against Tokugawa Shogunate, took place Kyoto was devastated completely. The warehouse was a victim of it and Takayama lost its parts except the four figurines and others. They were stored in a basement of a house and escaped the fire narrowly.

七里ヶ浜親方

We can see them in Kaisyo during Atomatsuri.

The fire devastated Kyoto and prevented Kikusui Hoko and Ohfune Hoko form Yamahoko Parade. It took 89 years for Kikusui Hoko to come back to it.

シカさん

Ofune Hoko returned to the parade 150 years later (2014). And it took another 7 years to paint the dragon statue in gold. It tells us how tough to rebuild and returend to the parade.