Aoi Matsuri
The Aoi Festival is a festival of both the
Shimogamo Shrine
and the
Kamigamo Shrine
held in Kyoto City on May 15th. The official name of the festival is the Kamo Festival. In the mid 6th century, a serious famine occurred. Emperor Kinmei asked a fortune teller for guidance to handle the problem. The fortune teller told the emperor that the famine was caused by the gods' anger. Therefore the emperor ordered a ceremonial festival to soften their anger. The festival today is known for its elegant parade with people dressed in classic costumes of the Heian-period.
Aoi Festival's highlight is its parade with people dressed in classic costumes of the Heian-period. Special carriages called 'Gosho Guruma' and oxcarts, which were common 1000 years ago,can be seen. The name of the festival was derived from the fact that everything in the procession, such as the people, carts and the oxcarts, is decorated with hollyhock leaves, which are called "Aoi" in Japanese.
The parade starts from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and proceeds through town to the
Shimogamo Shrine, and then on to the
Kamigamo Shrine. It seems like a reproduction of a historical scene from an ancient scroll.
The Course of the Parade :
Starting from Kyoto Imperial Palace at 10:30 → Arriving at Shimogamo Shrine at 11:40 → Leaving from Shimogamo Shrine at 14:20 → Arriving at Kamigamo Shrine at 15:30
The pre-festivals of the Aoi Festival are held in May. Especially, the famous 'Yabusame Shinto Ritual' , in which people shoot arrows while wearing kimonos and riding horses. (Shimogamo Shrine on 3rd May). Another pre-festival is the 'Kamo Kurabeuma', in which horses compete for speed at the riding grounds. It begins after the ceremony. (Kamigamo Shrine on 5th May)
Yabusame Shinto Ritual
Kamo Kurabeuma
©Yuka Hoshino
