Gion Matsuri

What is Gion Matsuri? A festival held in Kyoto, Japan for the entire month of July. All events are funded, arranged, and performed by the citizens on Kyoto. The festival is to celebrate a Shinto priest who appeased the gods, and ended the plague of 869 A.D.

Yasaka Shrine Home of a Shinto priest, whom in led a parade of people through Kyoto to appease the gods, and end the plague. Today the shrine helps to organize the festivities of Gion Matsuri and ward off evil diseases.

Parades of Gion Matsuri There is a different parade every night over the course of the one month festival. Each night a new theme of Japanese history is portrayed.

Hoko and Yama Thirty-one large floats are paraded through Kyoto. Each float provides its own music and music and entertainment.

Sagi-Mai A male and female swan dance together in a holy ceremony. At the end of the dance a third performer dressed as a serpent is chased from the stage.

Noh Performance A without dialogue Very little scenery or props are used. Performers were a mask so that all emotion is told through motion, narration, and music. Often Religious inspired stories.

Kyogen Plays Comic plays entirely based off of dialog. Many more props and scenery are used. Plays are often very short, and can be used as a break to serious Noh performances.

Common treats of the Festival Takoyaki – Flaky pastry around chunks of Octopus meat. Tomorokoshi – Grilled corn on the cob, basted in soy sauce.