Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha, Gokuusha

The information about Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha is presented here. Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha was once located at the southern end of Shinsen-en, where Gion Goryoe was held in 869 to quell an epidemic that was spreading in Kyoto, and was the origin of the Gion Matsuri Festival, one of the three major festivals in Kyoto (Aoi Matsuri Festival and Jidai Matsuri Festival).

• Spot Location Map ＆ Directions
• Spot History
• Spot Highlights

【Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: Sanjo-Kuromon, Goko-machi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Horikawa Sanjo bus stop (about 5 minutes on foot), Sabway Nijojo-mae Station (about 8 minutes on foot)

【Opening Hours ＆ Closed (confirmation required)】

Opening Hours: Free
Closed: open year round

【Entrance Fees ＆ Tickets (confirmation required)】

Individual: Free

【Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha History】

Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha (又旅社) is also called “Gokuusha (御供社)”. Matatabisha is said to have come to be called “Matatabisha” because it is the second Otabisho of Yasaka Shrine. The origin of Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha is not clear. Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha was once located at the southern end of Shinsen-en, where Gion Goryoe was held in 869 to quell an epidemic that was spreading in Kyoto, and was the origin of the Gion Matsuri Festival. Goryoe was also held in Shinsen-en in 863. At Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha, the saijo (ceremony site) was set up during Gion Goryoe, where three mikoshi (portable shrines) from Yasaka Shrine were enshrined, and food, drink and other offerings were offered to the gods of heaven and earth. This is the origin of the name of Gokuusha. Today, three mikoshi (Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi, and Nishigoza Mikoshi) are enshrined at Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha during Kanko-sai of Gion Matsuri Festival on July 24th and a ritual is held there. By the way, Nakagoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, Higashigoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirit of Kushiinadahime-no-mikoto, the wife of Susano-no-mikoto, and Nishigoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirits of Yahashira-no-mikogami, the eight children of Susano-no-mikoto. Later, in 1906, it became a branch shrine outside the precincts of Yasaka Shrine.
★Shinsen-en was originally a forbidden garden (Imperial Garden) that was built south of Dai-dairi in 794 when the 50th Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Heian-kyo. Shinsen-en was built incorporating large pond, spring, stream, small mountain, and forest, and palaces such as Kenrinkaku, Ukaku, Sakaku, Nshi-Tsuridai, Higashi-Tsuridai, Takidono, and Koden were built. Later, the 50th Emperor Kanmu visited in 800, and a banquet was held there in 802. In 863, a plague epidemic broke out, and a Goryoe was held to suppress the disease. Gion Goryoe held in 869 is said to be the origin of the Gion Matsuri Festival. In the early Heian period (794-1185), Shinsen-en was considered a religious sacred site, where sutra chanting was held to pray for rain and to stop rain, and song and dance were dedicated to the gods. In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 1st shogun of the Edo shogunate, began the construction of Nijo Castle, and most of the land on the north side of Shinsen-en was incorporated into Nijo Castle, greatly reducing the size of Shinsen-en. Beginning in 1607, Itakura Katsushige, Katagiri Katsumoto, and Kaiga-shonin received permission from the imperial court to improve the temple complex and reestablish it as a temple under the jurisdiction of To-ji Temple.
*reference・・・Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha website

【Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha Highlights (May be undisclosed)】

★Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha (Important Cultural Property) was built in 1789. Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha enshrines Susano-no-mikoto, Kushiinadahime-no-mikoto (wife of Susano-no-mikoto), and Yahashira-no-mikogami (eight children of Susano-no-mikoto), and is said to have the benefits of removing evil, removing calamities, prosperity in business, marriage, family security, safe childbirth, and academic achievement.

【Events (confirmation required)】

★Hosen-sai (奉饌祭) of Gion Matsuri is held every year on July 24th. In Hosen-sai, food is offered to three mikoshi (Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi, and Nishigoza Mikoshi) that have been enshrined. By the way, the offerings are given to the worshippers as sendango on the 25th of July the following day. (Confirmation required)
★Ohake Kiyoharai-shiki (オハケ清祓式) is held every year on July 23rd. Ohake Kiyoharai-shiki purifies the ohake (gohei) where the spirits of three mikoshi (Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi, and Nishigoza Mikoshi) reside and rest before Kanko-sai on July 24th. The ohake (gohei) is made by setting up imidake (bamboo) in the four corners and stringing shimenawa (sacred straw rope), and placing three gohei on the imishiba, which is 7 shaku wide and 2 shaku deep (about 2 meters wide and about 60 cm deep).
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2024 will start on July 1st, 2024 and end on July 31st, 2024.
Gion Matsuri Festival Schedule (July 1st-31st)

【Telephone (Please refrain from making phone calls.)】

Tel: +81-75-561-6155

【Recommended Walking Route】

The recommended walking route from Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha is via Shinsen-en Garden in the north to Nijo Castle. Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site, is home to Ninomaru Goten, Ninomaru Garden, Kara-mon Gate, and other buildings and planted vegetation that can be enjoyed while walking around the vast castle grounds. Northeast of Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha are Kyoto Gyoen, Kyoto Imperial Palace, and Sento Gosho, which are also good places to walk.

【Remarks（access, parking, disclaimer, etc）】
If you plan to visit Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha, be sure to check the latest information.