Omukae-Chochin of Gion Matsuri

The information of Omukae-Chochin is presented here. Omukae-Chochin is held every year on July 10th. In Omukae-Chochin, the procession starts from Yasaka Shrine to Kyoto City Hall, where dances and other performing arts are dedicated in front of Kyoto City Hall. The procession then returns from Kyoto City Hall to Yasaka Shrine via Shijo Otabisho, where it welcomes Nakagoza Mikoshi (portable shrine), which has been purified by Mikoshi-arai, at the stone steps of Yasaka Shrine.

• Omukae-Chochin 2024 Schedule
• Omukae-Chochin map ＆ access
• Omukae-Chochin brief overview

【Omukae-Chochin 2024 Schedule (confirmation required)】

Omukae-Chochin 2024 will be held on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024 at 16:30.
The route of Omukae-Chochin : Stone steps of Yasaka Shrine (16:30) → Shijo-dori West → Kawaramachi-dori North → Kyoto City Hall Square → Teramachi-dori South → Shijo Otabisho → Shijo-dori East → Maruyama Park (19:30)
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2024 will start on July 1st, 2024 and end on July 31st, 2024.
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)

【Omukae-Chochin of Gion Matsuri brief overview】

Omukae-Chochin (お迎え提灯) of Gion Matsuri Festival (祇園祭) is held every year on July 10th. First, the procession of chochin (lanterns), Hayashi-kata (music group) from yamahoko-cho, Komusha, Komachi Odori, Sagi Odori, Shaguma, Gion Odori, Umaosa-chigo, etc. parades from Yasaka Shrine to Kyoto City Hall, where dances and other performing arts are dedicated in front of Kyoto City Hall. The procession then returns from Kyoto City Hall to Yasaka Shrine via Shijo Otabisho, where it welcomes Nakagoza Mikoshi (portable shrine), which has been purified by Mikoshi-arai, at the stone steps of Yasaka Shrine. Finally, dances and other performing arts are dedicated at Yasaka Shrine, just as they are at Kyoto City Hall.
●The procession of Omukae-Chochin is Osakidaiko, Toomi, Gion Mante chochin, Gion Mante banner, Gion bayashi, Komusha chochin, Komusha streamer, Komusha queue, Omukae chochin queue, Komachi Odori chochin, Komachi Odori streamer, Komachi Odori queue, Sagi Odori chochin, Sagi Odori streamer, Sagi ohgasa, Sagi Odori queue, Gion Matsuri Ondo chochin, Gion Matsuri Ondo streamer, Umaosa-chigo streamer, Umaosa-chigo queue, etc.

★It is said that the origin of Omukae-Chochin dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868), when actors at theaters such as the Kita-za and Minami-za theaters lit elaborate chochin (lanterns) and welcomed the mikoshi (portable shrine), which has been purified by Mikoshi-arai. After that, Omukae-Chochin was discontinued for a long time, but in 1952, Omukae-Chochin was revived as an event of Gion Matsuri, which accompanies Mikoshi-arai. Omukae-Chochin is sponsored by the Gion Matoe.
Omukae-Chochin is a procession of chochin (lanterns) welcoming the mikoshi (portable shrine) that has been purified by Mikoshi-arai.
★Mikoshi-arai is a ritual to purify the mikoshi (portable shrine) before Shinko-sai. Mikoshi-arai purifies the Nakagoza Mikoshi, which carries the divine spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, the main deity of Yasaka Shrine, from the three mikoshi (Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi, and Nishigoza Mikoshi).
★Minami-za was one of the seven theaters officially licensed by the Kyoto Governor Itakura Katsushige in the Shijo-kawara (riverbank) area during the Genna period (1615-1623) and is said to be the oldest theater in Japan. Kita-za was closed in 1893 due to the expansion of Shijo-dori. In the Edo period (1603-1867), there were seven permanent theaters in the Shijo-kawara (riverbank) area.
★Hayashi-kata (music group) consists of suri-kane (gongs), which produce a unique tone and rhythm, fue (flutes), which play the melody, and shime-taiko (drums), which control the tempo and the entire performance.
★Komachi Odori is a Furyu Odori (dance) that became popular in Kyoto during the Genroku period (1688-1704). Komachi Odori is also called Tanabata Odori, because it was held on the 7th of July, when girls beautifully dressed in haregi (formal kimono), with artificial flowers in their hair, played small drums and sang songs as they danced around.
★Sagi Odori was danced around Kasasagi Hoko float by the weavers of Ohtoneri-za in Nishijin about 600 years ago, but it was discontinued in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), and was revived in 1956 when Sagimai(dance) was transmitted from Tsuwano, Yamaguchi to Kyoto. In Sagi Odori, dancers dressed as herons with white silk wings dance gracefully.

【Omukae-Chochin 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・・・）