Along with the Gion Matsuri and the Jidai Matsuri, the Aoi Matsuri (also known as the Kamo Matsuri) is included in the three major festivals held in Kyoto. In the Heian Period, it is thought that the word "Matsuri" (literally festival) meant the Aoi Matsuri, and it has been described in many literary works such as the Tale of the Genji and The Pillow Book.
In the parade of the festival, ladies dressed in the ceremonial court robes and men in traditional costumes ride on ox carriages decorated with wisteria (normally used by noblemen in the Heian period). Some processioners carry the Oyoyo Mikoshi (portable shrine) with the Saio-Dai, who's role was to maintain ritual purity and to represent the Emperor at the festival (now, the role of the Saio-Dai is played by an unmarried woman in Kyoto). There are 36 horses, 4 oxen, 2 ox carriages, 1 mikoshi and over 500 people forming the Imperial procession, making it one of the most elaborate and colorful festivals in Japan. Transmitting the elegance of the Heian Period down to the present day, the parade starts at the Kyoto Imperial Palace (Gosho), and continues all the way to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines.
Kamo Matsuri (Aoi Matsuri) ox carriage
Kamo Matsuri (Aoi Matsuri) Saio-Dai procession
Yabusame Shinto Ritual
Mikage Matsuri
●ain events at Shimogamo Shrine
Yabusame Ritual May 3
The 500-meter horseback archery range employed for this ceremony is located in the middle of the Tadasu-no-mori forest, and riders galloping down the range shoot arrows with tips shaped like turnips at targets along the course of the range. Dressed in the traditional costume of the Heian Period, the riders display their exquisite skill as they race down the range.
Saio-Dai Misogi Ceremony May 4
Including the Saio-Dai, the women who will participate in the Aoi Matsuri procession go through a purification ceremony at the Mitarashi River in which a human-like doll, called the Kamishiro, is floated down the river, dispelling their sins and purifying them. The ceremony is conducted at Kamigamo Shrine every second year and this year, 2009, the ceremony was held at Shimogamo Shrine.
Mikage Matsuri May 12
In the Mikage Matsuri, the official Aoi Matsuri festival priests go to Mikage Shrine to pick up the deities and bring them to the Shimogamo shrine. More than 100 people dressed in Heian Period costumes form the ceremonial procession, which is considered to be the most ancient Shinto ceremonial procession in Japan. On the way, the graceful ancient Azuma-asobi (a play-like performance with dance and music) is enacted in an open space of the Tadasu-no-mori forest.
Aoi Matsuri (Kamo Matsuri) May 15
It is noted in the history of the country that during a period of poor crops about 1,400 years ago (540 - 572 AD), when famine and illness spread throughout the country, the Emperor Kinmei dispatched an imperial procession to take part in the Shinto ceremonies at Shimogamo Shrine. The procession held during the Aoi Matsuri features people dressed in the most formal wear of the time, called ikansokutai, and the ceremonial robes of Japanese court ladies, known as junihitoe. The highlight of the procession is the elegant atmosphere of the greenery in the unforgettable Tadasu-no-mori forest. After the procession arrives at Shimogamo Shrine, the Imperial Messenger's prayers for peace are read and other ceremonies are conducted, such as the viewing of the sacred horse, called the hiki-uma, the Azuma-asobi (a play-like performance with dance and music), and the sacred horse races.
Scenes of the Aoi Matsuri (Shimogamo Shrine Images DVD) (1 min. 8 sec.)
