Shato-no-gi of Aoi Matsuri Festival

Shato-no-gi of Aoi Matsuri Festival (Aoi Festival) is presented here. Shato-no-gi is held every year on May 15th at Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine. In Shato-no-gi, an imperial envoy reads the saimon (senmyo) and offers the heimotsu (offerings). Then, the priest receives the saimon (senmyo) and the heimotsu (offerings), and offers them to the deities, and then reads the kaeshi-norito (shinsen).

• Shato-no-gi Schedule
• Shimogamo Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions
• Kamigamo Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions
• Shato-no-gi brief overview

【Shato-no-gi 2024 Schedule (confirmation required)】

Shato-no-gi 2024 will be held on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024. Shato-no-gi will be held at Shimogamo Shrine at around 12:00 after the arrival of the Roto-no-gi procession, and at Kamigamo Shrine at around 15:30 after the arrival of the Roto-no-gi procession. However, in case of bad weather, Roto-no-gi will be postponed to the following Thursday, May 16th. In addition, Roto-no-gi may be canceled if it rains during the procession.
Aoi Matsuri Festival 2024

【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)

【Kamigamo Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: 339 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Kamigmojinja-mae bus stop (short walk), Subway Kitayama Station (about 15 minutes on foot)

【Shato-no-gi brief overview】

Shato-no-gi (社頭の儀) of Aoi Matsuri Festival (葵祭) is held every year on May 15th. Shato-no-gi is held at Shimogamo Shrine after the arrival of the Roto-no-gi procession, and at Kamigamo Shrine after after the arrival of the Roto-no-gi procession. However, in case of bad weather, Roto-no-gi will be postponed to the following May 16th. In addition, Roto-no-gi may be canceled if it rains during the procession. In Shato-no-gi, an imperial envoy receives the saimon (senmyo) from kuradukai and reads the saimon (senmyo), and offers the heimotsu (offerings). Then, the priest receives the saimon (senmyo) and the heimotsu (offerings) and offers them to the deities, and then reads the kaeshi-norito (shinsen). By the way, the saimon (senmyo) of Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine is one piece, and is dedicated to Kamigamo Shrine after Shato-no-gi at Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine. The imperial envoy receives the aoikatsura, which is a combination of aoi (hollyhock) leaves and katsura branches and leaves. Afterwards, Kyoen-no-gi is held, , in which two sacred horses are led around Buden three times, and maibito (dancers) perform a ritual dance called Azumaasobi. Some-no-gi is also held, and at Shimogamo Shrine, horses gallop through Tadasu-no-mori Forest, and at Kamigamo Shrine, horses gallop from Ichi-no-Torii Gate to Ni-no-Torii Gate.

★Azumaasobi is said to have originated from a legend that Tennyo (heavenly 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 along with to-gaku (Chinese music) and koma-gaku (Korean music) at the Great Buddha Memorial Service at Todai-ji Temple in 861 in the early Heian period (794-1185), and at Aoi Matsuri Festival in 889, but later declined and ceased to be performed. However, Azumaasobi was revived as shinjimai (ritual dance) in 1813.
★Tadasu-no-mori Forest (National Historic Site) covers an area of about 120,000 square meters. It used to cover an area of about 4.95 million square meters. It is said that Tadasu-no-mori Forest still retains the same vegetation as the virgin forests of the Yamashiro Province (Kyoto). Tadasu-no-mori Forest is home to about 4,700 trees of about 40 species, including Mukunoki, Keyaki, Ichigashi, Enoki, Nanaminoki, Tsubaki, Inuzakura, Arakashi, Akinire, Shii, Icho, Sugi, Tarayou, and Kusunoki.
★Kamigamo Shrine is officially called Kamo Wakeikaduchi Shrine. Kamigamo Shrine is said to have its origins in ancient times, when the enshrined deity, Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-mikoto, descended to Koyama, located north-northwest of the present shrine building. It is said that Kamo Jingu Shrine was built in 677, and Kamigamo Shrine was founded before that time.
★Shimogamo Shrine is officially called Kamo Mioya Shrine. Shimogamo Shrine is said to have originated during the reign of the first Emperor Jinmu (660 B.C.-582 B.C.), when the deity Kamo-Taketsunumi-no-mikoto descended on Mt. Mikage-yama, located at the western foot of Mt. Hiei-zan.

【Shato-no-gi of Aoi Matsuri Festival 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・・・）