On smartphones, this page is best viewed in horizontal mode.<\/p>\n
Many matsuri<\/em> (Shinto festivals) are held in Kyoto. I\u2019d like to introduce you to the Matsuo Matsuri in Matsuo-taisha Shrine and the Imamiya Matsuri in Imamiya Shrine. 1. Matsuo Matsuri
\nThe word \u201cmatsuri\u201d means events or ceremonies for defying gods or Buddha, and our ancients, in which we present an offering, and offer a prayer, appreciation, or console the spirits of the dead on a specific day. When I was a child, I had an impression in which mikoshi<\/em> (portable shrine) and dressed up horses paraded the streets in the town, street stalls stood on both side of the approach to the shrine, and the precincts of the shrine were crowded with people even in evenings during the matsuri. I was very surprised when I heard that the Gion Matsuri was not held for only three days but continued for one month in my college days.
\nPlease check out the matsuri in Kyoto from the Matsuo Matsuri.<\/p>\n
\nMatsuo-taisha Shrine started from a religious service held on a large rock, which is the dwelling place of a deity, on Mt. Matsuo where the shrine buildings stand. It is said that the Hata Family, who were powerful in that area at that time, built shrine buildings half-way up Mt. Matsuo by the imperial order in 701. Matsuo Matsuri, dating back to the early Heian Period, is held from late April to early May every year. This year, shinkosai<\/em> was held on the 20th of April, the mikoshi was lodged in an otabisho<\/em> for 3 weeks, and kankosai<\/em> was held on the 11th of May. Here, the word “shinkosai” means an event in which a mikoshi having a shintai<\/em> is carried from a Shinto shrine to an otabisho, where the word “shintai” means an object of worship usually housed in a Shinto shrine and believed to contain the spirit of a deity, during the matsuri, the shintai being moved from the shrine to the mikoshi; the word “otabisho” means a place where the mikoshi is lodged during the matsuri; and the word “kankosai” means an event in which the mikoshi goes back from the otabisho to the shrine. During the matsuri, people who usually cannot visit the shrine can directly pray to the god, which is an object with which to carry out the ritual.
\nIn Matsuo Matsuri, a funatogyo<\/em> in which the mikoshi crosses Katsuragawa River using a boat was held. The mikoshi was carried using a hand truck after leaving the shrine, and when it reached the top of the bank of Katsuragawa River, the mikoshi was moved from the hand truck to shoulders of bearers. The bearers went down the bank to the river side while they raised shouts \u201cHoitto, Hoitto!\u201d The shout means \u201clet\u2019s go with vigor!\u201d After entering the river while carrying the portable shrine, they carefully put the mikoshi on a boat on the river. Up to here, powerful scenes, such as the shouts by the bearers, shaking the mikoshi, and a cloud dust, were unfolded. After that, the boat carrying the mikoshi moved gently on the river surface to the other side. After all of the mikoshi gathered on the other riverside, some events were held, and then the mikoshi went toward their otabisho. Please check out the events held in the funatogyo below!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"