The history of Aoi Matsuri Festival

The history of Aoi Matsuri Festival is presented here. Aoi Matsuri Festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (539-571), when Kyoto and the entire country were struck by wind and flood damage, famine and plague were prevalent, and it was attributed to the curse of Kamo-no-Okami. The history of Aoi Matsuri Festival began in the late Kofun period, (mid 3rd century – 7th century), and has a history of over 1,000 years. However, it was once suspended for about 200 years during the Muromachi period (1336-1573).

The beginning of Aoi Matsuri Festival
The Asuka period (592-710) –
The Heian period (794-1185) –
The Kamakura period (1185-1333) –
The Azuchi Momoyama period (1573-1603) –
After the Meiji period (1868- ) –

【Aoi Matsuri Festival Schedule (confirmation required)】

Roto-no-gi (procession) of Aoi Matsuri Festival will be held on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, at 10:30. However, in case of inclement weather, it will be postponed to the following Thursday, May 16th. In addition, Roto-no-gi may be canceled if it rains during the procession. At Roto-no-gi, the procession consists of about 500 people dressed in Heian period (794-1185) costumes, about 40 horses, 4 cows, 2 gissha (ox carts), 1 koshi (palanquin), and it is about 1 km long.
Aoi Matsuri Festival 2024

【The beginning of Aoi Matsuri Festival】

★According to Kamigamo Shrine, Aoi Matsuri Festival (Kamo Matsuri Festival) originated when Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-mikoto, the main deity of Kamigamo Shrine, descended to Mt. Koyama, in the north-northwest of the present shrine buildings, and according to an oracle, a festival was held in which the sakaki tree of Okuyama was taken and erected on the Are, the soma (running horse) was held, and so on. In the beginning, Aoi Matsuri festival was a private festival centered around the Kamo Agatanushi family.
★According to the Yamashiro-koku Fudoki, Aoi Matsuri Festival (Kamo Matsuri Festival) originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (539-571), when Kyoto and the entire country were struck by wind and flood damage, famine and plague were prevalent, and it was attributed to the curse of Kamo-no-Okami by the divination of Urabe no Ikiwakahiko, a worshipper of Kamo-no-Okami (Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine). It is said that Aoi Matsuri Festivalt originated when Urabe no Ikiwakahiko, by imperial order, chose a lucky day in April in the lunar calendar and held a festival as a grand celebration in which horses were hung with bells, people wore boar heads, and the horse race was held.

【The Asuka period (592-710)】

★It is said that in 698, kisha (yabusame, horse archery) of Aoi Matsuri festival was banned due to the large number of people and riots.

【The Nara period (710-794)】

★It is said that in 711, the 43rd Emperor Genmei issued an imperial order to the Yamashiro Kokushi to investigate whether Aoi Matsuri Festival was being held safely.

【The Heian period (794-1185)】

★In 806, the 51st Emperor Heijo issued a decree to the Yamashiro Kokushi to visit the site of Aoi Matsuri Festival to investigate whether Aoi Matsuri Festival was being held safely.
★In 807, the 51st Emperor Heijo made Aoi Matsuri Festival an imperial festival by imperial decree and elevated Kamosha (Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine) to the highest rank (shinkai) of shoichii.
★In 810, the Kamo Saion was established at the request of the 52nd Emperor Saga, and the 8th daughter of Emperor Saga, Princess Uchiko Naishinno, served as the 1st Saio (Saiin) to serve at Kamo Shrine (Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine) and Aoi Matsuri Festival. Saio (Saiin) was founded after the example of Ise Saio, who served at Ise Jingu Shrine in Mie, on behalf of the Emperor. After two years of purification at Sho-Saiin of the palace , Saio (Saiin) served while living a clean life, avoiding impurity and Buddhist rituals, and many of them remained celibate for the rest of their lives.
★In 819, Aoi Matsuri Festival became a national event held in accordance with the most important annual ritual in the Ritsuryo system. By the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), the festival had become so prosperous that the word “festival” refers to Aoi Matsuri Festival.
★During the Jougan period (859-876), the ritual schedule for Aoi Matsuri Festival was established as an imperial festival, and the ritual was completed.
★In 887, the 59th Emperor Uda was said to have been enthroned by the oracle of Kamo-no-Okami, and an extraordinary festival was held in the fall, and it is said that it continued until 1870.
★In 1093, the 73rd Emperor Horikawa moved the court event of the Butokuden, which prays for peace and a good harvest, to Kamigamo Shrine, and it became Kamo-Kurabeuma, the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival.

【The Kamakura period (1185-1333)】

★It is said that in 1191, the 82nd Emperor Go-Toba banned Aoi Matsuri Festival, which had become extravagant.
★In 1212, the 35th Saio (Saiin), Princess Reiko Naishinno, retired and Saio (Saiin) system, which had lasted for about 400 years, was abolished.
★After the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Aoi Matsuri Festival, which had flourished in the middle of Heian period (794-1185), began to decline.

【The Muromachi period (1336-1573)】

★It is said that Yoshimitsu Ashikaga, the 3rd shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), provided his horse to Kamo-Kurabeuma, the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival and watched.
★After the Onin War (1467-1477), Aoi Matsuri Festival ceased for about 200 years. However, it is said that Shato-no-gi of Aoi Matsuri Festival at Shimogamo Shrine has continued uninterrupted for about 1,400 years to the present day.
★It is said that the dispatch of imperial envoys ceased after 1502. Yabusame-Shinji, the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival, is also said to have ceased in 1502.

【The Azuchi Momoyama period (1573-1603)】

★It is said that during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Oda Nobunaga provided his two horses to Kamo-Kurabeuma, the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival and watched.

【The Edo period (1603-1868)】

★In 1610, by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 1st shogun of the Edo shogunate, the futaba-aoi (hollyhock) from which Aoi Matsuri Festival takes its name, was presented to Tokugawa Ieyasu from Kamigamo Shrine.
★In 1694, Aoi Matsuri Festival was revived for the first time in about 200 years thanks to the efforts of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the 5th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, who was the son of Keishoin (Otama), who was born in Nishijin, Kyoto. After the revival of Aoi Matsuri Festival, the misu (blinds) of the buildings in the Imperial Palace and the gissha (ox carts) were all decorated with the futaba-aoi (hollyhock), and Kamo Matsuri Festival became known as Aoi Matsuri Festival.

【After the Meiji period (1868- )】

★From 1871 to 1883, Aoi Matsuri Festival was interrupted by the Boshin War and the relocation of the capital to Tokyo, etc.
★With the transition to the new calendar in 1873, the date of Aoi Matsuri Festival was changed from the second rooster day in April of the lunar calendar to the 15th of May of the new calendar.
★In 1884, the 122nd Emperor Meiji restored Aoi Matsuri Festival, one of the three imperial festivals of Japan, the Kasuga-sai at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and the Ishimizu-sai at Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine.
★In 1926, the period procession for Aoi Matsuri Festival was established.
★From 1943 to 1952, the period procession for Aoi Matsuri Festival was canceled.
★In 1953, the period procession for Aoi Matsuri Festival was revived with the support of the Aoi Matsuri Gyoretsu Kyosankai (Aoi Festival Procession Support Association).
★In 1956, Saio-dai was established to replace Saio (Saiin).
★In 1973, Yabusame-Shinji was revived as an event to commemorate the Shikinen Sengu of Shimogamo Shrine, and it became an annual event in 1976.

【The history of Aoi Matsuri Festival remarks】
Always check with the organizer for event information. Information on this site is for reference only. Contents of the event may have changed.
葵祭2024日程（行事・・・）