#Gion matsuri

[yridenergyridenergy]

[missmyloko]

What's In An Obi? Part 9

On The First Day of Fun I present... a new obi! Yes, The Twelve Days of Fun are BACK for another year!

Image courtesy of Amy Kyoto. Owned By: Odamoto (小田本) in Gion Kobu Motif(s): Gion Matsuri Yamaboko (Floats) The Gion Matsuri (祇園祭), which runs each year from July 1st to 24th, is one of the biggest festivals in Japan, and the highlight of summers in Kyoto. The main draw of the festival each year is the Yamaboko Junko (山鉾巡行), the procession of the massive floats! In total there are 32 main floats: 9 Hoko (the massive 25m tall floats) and 23 Yama (the smaller 6m tall floats). Some are adorned with Chōchin (提灯), paper lanterns, that have various kamon on them (although the most popular one is that of Yasaka Shrine). The people on the floats wave Sensu (扇子), hand fans, as the procession makes it way down the streets of Kyoto. All three motifs can be seen in the obi above ^^

[besidebloomingirises]

[tanuki-kimono]

Unusual pattern choice for this modern high end obi, inspired by the famous Zo to Kujira-zu byôbu (Elephant and Whale folding screens) painted by mid-Edo animal lover artist Ito Jakuchu.

Those folding screens were rediscovered in 2008. There is apparently no hidden allegory behind the whale/elephant pairing beside the fact that artist once saw an elephant and a whale and (rightly) went "well they're neat".

Those screens were ordered to be displayed during Gion matsuri, and whimsical patterns were often favored for this occasion.

[redsamuraiii]

Ato Matsuri at Gion, Kyoto by arisachw

It started in 869 A.D. when Kyoto suffers a an epidemic that Emperor Seiwa commissioned the ceremony to pray to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the deity of Yasaka Shrine.

Today, the tradition continues as it becomes a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage because of how much it showcases Kyoto’s history, arts and culture.

More info on the event

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Gion Matsuri: Mikoshi Togyo

The final day in the evening of the first half of the Gion Festival is the parade of their Mikoshi floats to the temporary festival shrine. This is called the Mikoshi Togyo (神輿渡御).

Nakagoza Mikoshi 中御座神輿: this mikoshi transports Susano'o no Mikoto

Higashigoza Mikoshi 東御座神輿: this transports Kushiinada-hime

Nishigoza Mikoshi 西御座神輿: this transports the 8 children of Susano'o no Mikoto

There's 2 more mikoshi that get toted around and are run by children's groups which is fun. One of the neat things I saw during the procession was the chigo (稚児) which is a child who is viewed as a sacred host for the kami during the period of the festival.

Each mikoshi has a different route they take around Gion and the various neighborhoods close to the shrine, but they usually all pass over Sanjō Ōbashi, which is where I waited. It took pretty much the entire evening, and I didn't stay for their return trip which would've been well into the early morning hours.

As per usual I also have a video compilation of the procession for your viewing pleasure.

Yasaka Shrine's Map of the Procession Routes and Info about the Yamaboko

[bach-photography]

長刀鉾稚児社参

Kyoto Gion Matsuri 2024 (Gion Festival) - 京都 祇園祭

[kyotodreamtrips]

Naginata Hoko (長刀鉾) during the Saki-Matsuri of the Gion Festival in Kyoto-Japan.

[strongbabe2907]

🥹

[ikana-graveyard]

2023年7月17日祇園祭 ・  7/17/2023 Gion Festival

[yridenergyridenergy]

"Tomorrow is the last day.

It is.

Kyo"

[missmyloko]

Kanzashi of The Month: July - Gion Matsuri 2024's Design

Way back in 2019, Kazurasei went and uploaded images of the yearly kanzashi at the time and I covered them like a normal kanzashi feature. However, they hadn't uploaded the Gion Matsuri design annually even after it resumed... until now! As always, the kanzashi are courtesy of Kazurasei.

Image is courtesy of Kazurasei. Chō (蝶) - Butterflies Tsuyu Shiba (露柴) - Dew On Grass Tessen (��線) - Clematis When this image was originally uploaded at the beginning of July it came as quite a shock as the yearly motifs aren't often leaked early, but boy was it a great thing that it was! 2024's design is actually very similar to 2019's on paper; it features an insect and dew on grass on top of clematis. However, unlike the shimmering wings and stick figure bodies of the dragonfly, we instead have the puffy wings and silver wire bodies of the butterfly! Silver paper butterflies accompany the main motifs on the katsuyama (bridge) piece, so it's interesting to see them used now as a main motif too, making the katsuyama absolutely full of fluttering butterflies! Oddly enough, the rule of colors seems to have changed for this year as junior maiko were seen wearing kanzashi sets with two light pink butterflies and one purple butterfly while senior maiko were seen wearing kanzashi sets with two purple butterflies and one light pink butterfly. Usually junior maiko wear deeper, darker colors to symbolize their inexperience and senior maiko wear pastels to show their seniority, but this year everyone shared the same colors!

Image is courtesy of the Shigemori Okiya. Last time the clematis was featured, it was simply the six petal kind with a rhinestone center. This time around, it still has six petals, but the main ones are white and the accents are pink and blue. It's not unusual to see cultivated clematis have main petals that are one color and smaller, inner petals that are another, so this type of tsumami clematis is emulating that. When put together, the motifs make for a very cooling and calming effect, as shown on maiko Fukunagi (ふく凪) of Shigemori (��げ森) in Miyagawa Cho above. 2024 has now become one of my favorite yearly designs that I can remember (my other favorite is 2018's fireworks and water design). What's yours?

[besidebloomingirises]

[tanuki-kimono]

Fantastic hikizuri (trailing kimono, probably a maiko's considering the sode-age sleeves tucks and pattern) depicting all-seasons sceneries & festivals.

[miyajimacho-imvu]

At the end of July, we held our annual Gion Matsuri float procession and dance performance. Maiko Terutsuyo and Umeyuu performed for the audience!