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Mikage Matsuri of Shimogamo Shrine (May 12th, 2024)
Mikage Matsuri of Shimogamo Shrine
Mikage Matsuri of Shimogamo Shrine is presented here. Mikage Matsuri is held every year on May 12th. In Mikage Matsuri, before Roto-no-gi (Period Procession) of Aoi Matsuri Festival, the wild and brave spirit of the deity of Shimogamo Shrine is welcomed to Shimogamo Shrine from Mikage Shrine, an outer branch shrine, at the western foot of Mt. Hiei-zan. In Kirishiba-shinji, which expresses the joy of welcoming the wild and brave spirit, Bugaku “Azumaasobi” is dedicated.
【Mikage Matsuri 2024 Schedule (confirmation required)】
Mikage Matsuri 2024 will be held on Sunday, May 12th, 2024. At 9:00, Kanpai-no-gi and Juge-shinji will be held at Shimogamo Shrine. At 9:30, the procession will moves to Mikage Shrine, where Mikageyama-no-gi will be held. Then, the procession will moves to Kamo Hani Shrine, where Roji-sai will be held. Returning to Shimogamo Shrine, Kirishiba-shinji and Azumaasobi will be held at Tadasu-no-mori Forest from 16:00, and Hongu-no-gi will be held from 17:00.
【Shimogamo Shrine Location Map & Directions】
Address: 59 Izumigawa-cho, Shimogamo, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Shimogamojinja-mae bus stop (short walk), Keihan Demachiyanagi Station (about 10 minutes on foot)
【Mikage Matsuri brief overview】
Mikage Matsuri (御蔭祭) is the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival (葵祭) Roto-no-gi (Period Procession), which is held every year on May 15th, and is held every year on May 12th. (In case of bad weather, Roto-no-gi is postponed to the next day, the 16th.) In Mikage Matsuri, before Roto-no-gi (Period Procession), the wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama) of the deity of Shimogamo Shrine is welcomed to Shimogamo Shrine from Mikage Shrine, an outer branch shrine, at the western foot of Mt. Hiei-zan. The gentle and virtuous spirit (Niki-Mitama) of Shimogamo Shrine becomes one with the spirit of the god born on Mt. Mikage-yama, where Mikage Shrine is located, and becomes the rejuvenated wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama), then the rejuvenated wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama) is transferred to the goshinbitsu and welcomed into Honden (main shrine) of Shimogamo Shrine. In Mikage Matsuri, Shinto rituals are performed sequentially at Shimogamo Shrine, Mikage Shrine, and Kamo Hani Shrine. First, Kanpai-no-gi and Juge-shinji are held at Shimogamo Shrine, and then the procession moves to Mikage Shrine. Mikageyama-no-gi and other ceremonies are held at Mikage Shrine, and then the procession moves to Kamo Hani Shrine. Roji-sai is held at Kamo Hani Shrine, and then the procession returns to Shimogamo Shrine. Kirishiba-shinji is held in the Tadasu-no-mori Forest to express the joy of welcoming the wild and brave spirit (Ara-Mitama), Bugaku “Azumaasobi” is dedicated. Finally, Hongu-no-gi is held.
Since 1963, the procession from Shimogamo Shrine to Mikage Shrine and from Mikage Shrine to Shimogamo Shrine has been conducted by car, but since 1992, the shinko procession on foot by priests dressed in eboshi and kariginu (hunting clothes), and shrine parishioners has been revived in some sections.
★According to the shrine’s legend, Kamo Hani Shrine was founded since before 901 in the early Heian period (794-1185). Later, Inari-no-kami was also enshrined there, and it became known as Akamiya Inari Daimyojin.
★The Shinko procession of Mikage Matsuri is said to have begun during the reign of the second Emperor Suizei (581 B.C.-549 B.C.), and is considered the oldest Shinko procession in Japan.
★Azumaasobi is said to have originated from a legend that Tennyo (celestial maiden) descended to the Udohama Beach in Suruga (Shizuoka Prefecture) and played there.
Azumaasobi was introduced to Nara from the eastern provinces with the rise of foreign gaku (music), and was used at the memorial service for the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple in 861 and at Aoi Matsuri Festival in 889, but then declined and was temporarily discontinued, but it was revived in 1813.
★The origin of Mikage Shrine is not clear. It is said that miare ritual began at Mikage Shrine before BC, and according to the shrine’s legend, the ritual has been performed since ancient times by powerful tribes from the northern part of Kyoto. It is also said that Kamo Jingu Shrine was built in 677 by Yamashiro-Kokushi (governor of Kyoto Province). After that, the shrine buildings were rebuilt during the shikinen-sengu of Shimogamo Shrine in 1622. However, part of the shrine buildings were washed away by the flooding of the Takano-gawa River and other rivers caused by a typhoon in 1758, and the shrine buildings were also washed away by the Bunsei-no-ojishin (Great Bunsei Earthquake) in 1830. In 1834, Mikage Shrine was moved to its present location, and the shrine buildings were rebuilt during the shikinen-sengu of Shimogamo Shrine in 1835. Saikan of Mikage Shrine was destroyed by a typhoon in 1963, and the shrine building was repaired during the shikinen-sengu of Shimogamo Shrine in 1964, and Honden (main shrine) of Mikage Shrine was dismantled and repaired during the shikinen-sengu of Shimogamo Shrine in 2003.
【Mikage Matsuri of Shimogamo Shrine 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・・・)