JULY 17TH, 2009 GION MATSURIToday was the main procession of the “Hoko” & “Yama” the various types of wheeled and hand-carried floats as well as the “Mikoshi”, hand-carried portable shrines which comprise the main event of the Gion Matsuri (festival), dating back 1200 years & one of the 3 greatest festivals in all Japan. Since I have been avoiding the mid-summer heat in Kyoto most of the past 10 years I’ve missed seeing this amazing event, the highlight of this notoriously humid season in Kyoto and one that usually signals the end of the rainy season (tsuyu) here.
The festival was originally begun in 859A.D. to pray to the gods to protect the city from a severe plague. It grew into a major event in the mid-Heian period (794-1184), and since the Muromachi period (1392-1575) the many “floats” and various palanquins we see today were annualy paraded through the city in mid-July. Here are a random selection of photos from the days event. The festival actually spans almost the whole month, with this day being the peak.
To enjoy the details of this incredible festival please click on any image to enlarge it. The middle image is a shot of my daughter Toby and I, viewing the festival together standing in front of Kyoto’s City Hall, the same spot where I saw it 32 years ago today, on my first trip to Japan, when I was exactly her age!
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- with my daughter Toby on Oike
