Kamo Festival (Aoi Festival)
An annual festival of Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine conveying the splendor of court culture
The Kamo Festival is an annual festival of both Shimogamo Shrine (formally known as Kamo no Mioya Shrine) and Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Shrine) in Kyoto. In traditional times, it was held on the second day of the rooster in the lunar Fourth Month, but now it is held on May 15. The official name is Kamosai, but it is also called Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival). This is because since the Edo period (1603-1867), the saio (shrine princesses of the blood) and shrine imperial messengers have worn vines of hollyhock attached to themselves and shrines and houses have been decorated with hollyhock leaves.
Legend has it that the festival originally honored the clan deity of the Kamo family, who were local lords, and began during the time of Emperor Kinmei, who reigned from 510 to 571. By the Nara period (710-784), the festival was already known to the entire Kinki region, according to two works of literature of the time, namely, Shoku Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, Continued) and Man'yoshu (Collection of Myriad Leaves).
During the Heian period, when the god enshrined in the Kamo shrines became the guardian deity of the capital at Heian, the Kamo Festival became a national event. After the imperial court established the title of saiin for princesses of the blood in 810, princesses have served as saio for the two shrines. In the middle of the Heian period, the Kamo festival was so popular among aristocrats that the term matsuri (festival) came to refer specifically to the Kamo Festival. The Tale of Genji describes contention over a place to see the procession of saiin princesses to be purified for service as saio, a prelude to the festival. Celebration of the festival was interrupted by the Onin War (1467-1477) and stopped for about 200 years, but was revived in 1694 in the Edo period. After several interruptions and revivals, it continues to this day.
The current celebration includes a procession centered on the head saio and imperial messengers departing from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and then visiting and worshipping at Shimogamo Shrine and then Kamigamo Shrine. A total of about 500 people dressed in Heian period costumes participate in the procession, depicting sumptuous court culture. The Kamo Festival, together with the Gion Festival and the Festival of the Ages (Jidai Matsuri), constitute the three major festivals of Kyoto.
Related People, Things and Events
Books
Related Works
Drawings of the Aoi Festival (Kamo-no-Matsuri) in paintings
Drawings of the Aoi Festival (Kamo no Matsuri) in Genji-e (paintings and other pictorial representations based on the Tale of Genji)
Videos
Past Exhibitions
| Title | shusai | Place | open | close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Institutions Holding Related Materials
京都市左京区。山城国一宮。本殿(国宝)など多くの文化財を保有。ユネスコ世界文化遺産に登録。
京都市北区。本殿、権殿(国宝)など多くの文化財を保有。ユネスコ世界文化遺産に登録。
京都市観光協会のオフィシャルページ。葵祭の行列コースと時間を紹介。
The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.
As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.
Kyoto National Museum collects, preserves, displays, researches and provides educational programs focusing on cultural properties from Heian- through to Edo- period Japan, when the capital was located there.
External Links
下鴨神社の祭典行事一覧。葵祭や前儀について解説。
葵祭の歴史や前儀、行列コースを解説。
京都市観光協会のオフィシャルページ。葵祭の見どころを紹介。
葵祭の歴史や前儀について解説。
葵祭の起源や歴史、前儀、行列の構成、観覧スポット、巡行コースを紹介。
References
- 京都書院
- 京都文化博物館学芸第二課 編,京都文化博物館