Let’s Visit Kyoto Gion Matsuri 祇園祭
Gion (祇園) is Kyoto’s most famous Geisha District, originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period (1467 - 1615) located around Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine in the east and the Kamo River in the west. It is filled with shops, restaurants and ochaya (teahouses), where Geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) and Maiko (geiko apprentices) entertain.
The Gion Matsuri (Festival) began in 869AD as a way to appease the gods during an epidemic. Every year, as per tradition, a local boy is chosen as a sacred messenger to the gods. From July 13 until the first parade ends on July 17, he sits on one of the many elaborate floats and his feet never touch the ground. Gion Matsuri is held throughout the month of July.
The biggest floats in the parade are known as yamaboko and weigh up to 12 tons. Each parade is preceded by three evenings of celebration known as Yoiyama. (The 14,15,16 and 21, 22, 23 of July respectively.) These three nights allow people to visit the floats, which are parked in different areas of the city. Around the floats, people can buy good luck charms called chimaki and enjoy local street food. It is fun to join the locals in their colorful cotton yukata robes and soak up the atmosphere of this traditional Kyoto festival.
The Folding Screen Festival, known as the Byobu Matsuri, is an event that takes place during the Yoiyama days of the festival. Wealthy families in the Shinmachi and Muromachi areas show off their private treasures such as screens and kimonos, displaying them in front of their houses or even welcoming people into their homes for viewing. Local merchants also proudly exhibit their art collections.
They have Aoi Festival and Jidai Festival as well. Enough said, Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture provided us the Introduction of Gion Festival in Manga version. Please check below. (You might need to print out to read. And the book goes from right to left)
