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Welcome to Japanesquest.
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Today, we are visiting
Aoi Matsuri Festival!
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Aoi Matsuri Festival is one of the three
great festivals of Kyoto,
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along with Gion Matsuri Festival,
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and Jidai Matsuri Festival.
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Every year on May 15th,
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more than 500 people dress as aristocrats
from the Heian Period,
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from the 8th to 12th centuries,
and march through Kyoto city.
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The origin of Aoi Matsuri Festival
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dates back to the reign of the Emperor
Kinmei in the 6th century,
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when people suffered due to terrible
storms and famines.
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Emperor Kinmei sent his messenger to the
Kamo Shrines to pay homage to the deities
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and performed solemn rites at the shrine.
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After this, the deities were pacified,
and the storms calmed down.
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Thus, the people were able to reap
bountiful harvests again.
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Ever since, the custom of the rites has
been handed down
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from generation to generation up to the
present day.
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The Aoi Matsuri Festival consists of two rites:
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Roto-no-Gi, the procession,
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and Shato-no-Gi, the rite privately held
inside the Kamo Shrines.
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The procession is the most popular,
due to its splendor,
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which includes 511 people,
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36 horses,
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4 oxen, and 2 carriages.
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The procession starts from the Kyoto
Imperial Palace,
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marches through Kyoto city
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to Shimogamo Shrine in the morning,
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then has its finale at Kamigamo Shrine in
the afternoon.
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Since the 6th century, thousands of people
have swarmed along its route
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and have enjoyed watching the elegant
Roto-no-Gi procession.
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The most important part of the Roto-no-Gi
procession is Saiodai.
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It is a representative of Saio,
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who was a young female member of the
imperial family
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and who served as high priestess of the
Kamo Shrines back in the Heian Period.
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Nowadays, an unmarried woman from Kyoto
is selected each year to serve as Saiodai
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and is taken through the procession on a
palanquin.
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A few tips from Japanesquest.
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If you want to see the procession in
comfort, reserved seats
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at the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Shimogamo
Shrine can be purchased in advance.
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It becomes less and less crowded as the
procession goes
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from Kyoto Palace to Shigamo Shrine and
then Kamigamo Shrine.
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We at Japanesquest personally recommend
watching the procession at the
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Kamigamo Shrine if you need to choose one.
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You can also purchase a ticket sold on the
day of the festival at the Kamigamo Shrine
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if you want to see it up close.
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That's today's episode of Japanequest.
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For more details, please check out our website.
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The link is in the description below.
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And don't forget to subscribe!
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Thank you for watching!
