A picture scroll revival of the old Heian Period, held during the greenery season
The Aoi Matsuri (also known as the Kamo Matsuri) is a synonym for a festival representing the Heian Period. Originally, it was a family festival held by the Kamo family of Kyoto. At present, it is held at the Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines to celebrate prays for a rich harvest and since the transfer of the capital to Heiankyo in Kyoto, it has been considered a national affair. During the Onin War (1467-1477), the festival procession was discontinued, but reinitiated during the Edo Period, and the present festival day of May 15th began in 1884. Kamigamo Shrine has long been called the origin of horse riding in Japan, largely due to several Shinto ceremonies related to horses, such as the Kamokurabeuma ceremony, and this year the shrine will be the site for the Saiou Daigyokeinogi ceremony. An ox-drawn cart adorned in Fuji flowers (Japanese wisteria) carrying the Saioudai, a woman representing the historical Saiou, once a single woman of the Imperial family either the Emperor's sister or queen, who dedicated herself to serve the Shinto religion, but now a young single woman chosen for the role, as well as many women in attendance dressed in 12-fold dresses, leads the festival procession. The entire procession is a large-scale event, with over 500 people, 36 horses, 4 ox-driven carts, 2 cow-driven carts and 1 portable palanquin、depicting the lone gone age of the Heian Period and it is the climax of the Aoi Matsuri. Considered one of the three large matsuri religious festivals held in Kyoto, along with the Gion Matsuri and the Jidai Matsuri, and it begins with the opening of May, and ends with the Shato-no-gi Shinto Ceremony held when the procession reaches the Kamigamo Shrine.
Held on the 5th of May, the Kurabeumae Jinji is a religious ceremony that features horse races. The horse riders, dressed in white horse-riding costumes and eboshi hats (a type of headgear worn by court nobles) are called Norijiri, and they ride through the Nara-no-ogawa River in a purification rite. After a Shinto priest checks the health and age of the competing horses, the speed and posture of the horse are compared, and given ranks, ranging from "high-high to "low-low."
This is a purification rite conducted for the Saiyoudai and her 40 attendants who will take part in the women's procession during the Aoi Matsuri. Dressed in her 12-fold costume, the Saiyoudai receives the purification rite in the Hashidono Hall, along with her 40 attendants, and after that, they cleanse their hands in the Mitarashi River on the shrine grounds. Furthermore, the Saiyoudai and her 40 attendants purify themselves of sins by floating Papercraft called katashiro made of paper used in misogi and harae purification rituals, down the river from the Hashidono Hall. This ceremony is held biennially at the Kamigamo Shrine, on even-numbered years by the western calendar, and on odd-numbered years it is held at the Shimogamo Shrine.
This Shinto ceremony began in 1093, at Kamigamo Shrine, which has long been called the origin of horse riding in Japan. Dressed in the traditional costumes of bugaku, court dances and music, the norijiri horse riders split up left and right to conduct the hore-riding ceremony. Then, 2 horses at a time compete in a race on the riding course. This scene has been recorded in the Tsurezuregusa historical volume from the Kamakura Period, etc. and it is inscribed as a Kyoto City Intangible Folklore Cultural Property.
During the reign of the Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century, an epidemic of starvation spread across the land, and by Imperial order it was disclosed that the cause of the disaster was divine punishment metted out by the god Kamo-no-ookami. It has been said that therefore, on a lucky day in April, a bells were attached to horses and a large scale matsuri ceremony called the Kamo Matsuri was held at the Kamo Shrine to appease the divine punishment, which became the present day ceremony. The festival procession represents the appointed agents of the Emperor dressed in the tradition clothing and adornments of the nobles of the Heian Period, and the procession, winding from from the Kyoto Gosho (Emperor's residence) to the Kamigamo Shrine is the grandest of its kind as it makes it way among the bright greery and trees. The austere Shato-no-gi Ceremony is held after the procession reaches the Kamigamo Shrine.
