Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri of Gion Matsuri (July 13th-16th, 2024)

Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri of Gion Matsuri

The information of Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri is presented here. Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri is held every year from July 13th to July 16th. In Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri, people pray for protection from evil and good health by walking through Chinowa ring about 2.5 meters in diameter that is set up in front of the storehouse in Yamabushiyama-cho Kaisho (meeting hall). Kumamon once appeared in Yamabushiyama-cho on July 13th and walked through Chinowa ring.

【Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri Schedule 2024 (confirmation required)】

Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri 2024 will be held from Saturday, July 13th to Tuesday, July 16th, 2024 from 10:00 to 22:00.
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2024 will start on July 1st, 2024 and end on July 31st, 2024.
Gion Matsuri Festival Schedule (July 1st-31st)

【Yamabushi Yama Location Map & Directions】

Address: Yamabushiyama, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Subway Shijo Station (about 10 minutes on foot), Hankyu Karasuma Station (about 8 minutes on foot)

【Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri of Gion Matsuri brief overview】

Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri (山伏山茅の輪くぐり) of Gion Matsuri Festival (祇園祭) is held every year from July 13th to July 16th, coinciding with the opening of the kaisho (meeting hall) store and the opening of the kaisho decorations (Former Festival Kaishokazari-kokai). In Former Festival Kaishokazari-kokai, the statue of Jozokisho, who is a yamabushi (mountain monk) and the goshintai of Yamabushi Yama, etc. are displayed on the second floor of Yamabushiyama-cho kaisho (meeting hall). By the way, Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri has been held since 2010. In Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri, people pray for protection from evil and good health by walking through Chinowa ring about 2.5 meters in diameter that is set up in front of the storehouse in Yamabushiyama-cho Kaisho (meeting hall). Kumamon once appeared in Yamabushiyama-cho on July 13th and walked through Chinowa ring. In addition, Yamabushi Yama Goma-daki is held every year on July 15th to pray for safety at the home, good health, and the fulfillment of prayers. On July 31st, the last day of Gion Matsuri Festival, Eki Jinja Nagoshi-sai is held at Yasaka Shrine, where visitors can pass through Chinowa ring, which is attached the Tori Gate.
In 2018, rice straw from Miyagi and Kumamoto prefectures was used for a portion of the Chinowa ring, as the Yamabushi Yama Preservation Society supports recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Kumamoto Earthquake.

★In Chinowa-kuguri, you first walk through Chinowa ring with your left foot and turn to the left, then walk through Chinowa ring with your right foot and turn to the right, and finally walk through Chinowa ring with your left foot and turn to the left. In other words, you must walk through the Chinowa ring three times in a figure of eight. When you walk through Chinowa ring, you should chant in your heart, “Minazuki no nagoshi-no-harai suru hito ha chitose-no-inochi nobu toiunari”. Incidentally, “Mizunazuki no …” means that if you pass through Chinowa ring, your life will be extended by 1,000 years. Chinowa-kuguri varies slightly depending on the shrine and other locations.
★The origin of Yamabushi Yama is not clear. In the “Gionshaki (Records of Yasaka Shrine)”, which describes the names of Yamahoko floats and places in the middle of the Muromachi period (1336-1573) before the Onin War (1467-1477), it is written as “Yamafushihoku (in Shijo Bomon Muromachi)”, and Yamabushi Yama is said to have already been founded before the Onin War. Yamabushi Yama used to be in the form of Hoko float rather than Yama float. Yamabushi Yama is derived from the Yamabushi Jozokisho, who was once repaired by the Dharma Power when the Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) of Hokan-ji Temple, also called Yasaka-no-to, was tilted. Jozokisho was a monk of the Heian period (794-1185) who was said to be the master of the magic of Mt. Hiei-zan. It is said that when Yasaka-no-to (five-story pagoda of Hokan-ji Temple) was tilted to the west, Jozokisho prayed for blessings, and at midnight, a light breeze blew from the northwest direction, shaking the earth and restoring it to its original shape. When Jozokisho was in Kumano for ascetic training, he returned to Kyoto with the news that his father was in critical condition, but he could not arrive it in time to see him die. However, he met his father’s funeral procession at Tsuchimikado-bashi Bridge, and when he chanted sutras calling for the return of his father’s spirit, his father temporarily came back to life and they were able to meet for the last time. It is said that Tsuchimikado-bashi Bridge came to be called “Ichijo-modori-bashi” after that. It is also said that Yamabushi Yama was damaged in the great fire of 1864 at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868).

【Yamabushi Yama Chinowa-kuguri of Gion Matsuri remarks】
*Events may be rescheduled or cancelled. Also, the content of the event may have changed.
祇園祭2025日程一覧(宵山屋台・山鉾巡行・・・)

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