Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan of Gion Matsuri

The information of Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan is presented here. Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan is held every year on July 13th. In Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan, two Kuzekomagata-Chigo (2 children) dressed in gold eboshi (hat) and kariginu (hunting clothe) visit Yasaka Shrine. After the ritual, two Kuzekomagata-Chigo receive a cedar guardian, a symbol of their status as Kuzekomagata-Chigo, and pray for the safe completion of the ritual (Gion Matsuri).

• Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan Schedule
• Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan Map ＆ Access
• Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan Brief Overview

【Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan 2025 Schedule (confirmation required)】

Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan 2025 will be held on Sunday, July 13th, 2025, at 14:00.
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2025 will start on July 1st, 2025 and end on July 31st, 2025.
Gion Matsuri Festival Schedule (July 1st-31st)

【Yasaka Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: 625 Gion-machi kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Gion bus stop (short walk), Keihan Gion Shijo Station (about 5 minutes on foot), Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station (about 8 minutes on foot), Subway Shijo Station (about 20 minutes on foot)

【Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan of Gion Matsuri brief overview】

Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan (久世駒形稚児社参) of Gion Matsuri Festival (祇園祭) is held every year on July 13th. In Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan, two Kuzekomagata-Chigo (2 children) dressed in gold eboshi (hat) and kariginu (hunting clothe) visit Yasaka Shrine. After the ritual, two Kuzekomagata-Chigo receive a cedar guardian, a symbol of their status as Kuzekomagata-Chigo, and pray for the safe completion of the ritual (Gion Matsuri). Incidentally, two Kuzekomagata-Chigo are believed to be incarnations of God, and are allowed to enter Honden (main shrine) on horseback. Even Chigo of Naginata Hoko, who is considered a messenger of God, and members of the royal family are required to dismount from their horse or other vehicle within the grounds of Yasaka Shrine. Kuzekomagata-Chigo rides a horse with the komagata (horse’s head) on his chest representing the wild and brave spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, the deity of Ayato Kuninaka Shrine, and leads Nakagoza Mikoshi, carrying the divine spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, the main deity of Yasaka Shrine, in Shinko-sai on July 17th and Kanko-sai on July 24th. In the past, it was said that “without the arrival of Kuzekomagata-Chigo on July 17th of Shinko-sai, the mikoshi (portable shrine) would not have been able to move a single step from the Yasaka Shrine”.

★Two Kuzekomagata-Chigo are selected from among the people associated with Ayato Kuninaka Shrine, which has a connection with Yasaka Shrine. Yasaka Shrine enshrines the gentle and virtuous spirit (Niki-Mitama) of Susano-no-mikoto, while Ayato Kuninaka Shrine enshrines the wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama) of Susano-no-mikoto, and it is said that it is important to combine the gentle and virtuous spirit (Niki-Mitama) of Susano-no-mikoto and the wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama) of Susano-no-mikoto at Gion Matsuri Festival.
★Ayato Kuninaka Shrine was once divided into Ayato Shrine and Kuninaka Shrine, but during the Sengoku period (1467-1590), Kuninaka Shrine was moved to Ayato Shrine and two shrine buildings were lined up facing west. However, due to the Muroto typhoon in 1934, two shrine buildings collapsed, and in 1936, it was rebuilt as a single shrine building facing south. Then, with the construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964, the Ayato Kuninaka Shrine was moved to its present location. According to shrine legend, Ayato Shrine was founded during the reign of the 26th Emperor Keitai (507-531), when it was named “Oi-sha (Oi Shrine)” as the purification god of Nanase on the Oi-gawa (Katsura-gawa) River. The name of the shrine was changed to “Ayato Shrine” in 965, and the plaque with the shrine’s name is said to have been written by the 70th Emperor Go-Reizei. Kuninaka Shrine was once located in Kofuku-ji Temple Zaodo and was also called Gozutenno-sha (Gozutenno Shrine). Kuninaka Shrine is said to have been a town shrine for the entire Kuze-go (town) in ancient times. Kuninaka Shrine enshrines the komagata (horse’s head) of Susano-no-mikoto’s favorite horse, which was carved by Susano-no-mikoto as a memento of Susano-no-mikoto.

【Kuzekomagata-Chigo Shasan 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・・・）