- Home
- Shinko-sai of Gion Matsuri (July 17th, 2024)
Shinko-sai of Gion Matsuri (July 17th, 2024)
Shinko-sai of Gion Matsuri
The information of Shinko-sai is presented here. Shinko-sai is held every year on July 17th. Shinko-sai is the highlight of Gion Matsuri Festival ritual. In Shinko-sai, Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi and Nishigoza Mikoshi go from Yasaka Shrine to the shrine parishioners’ district and head to Shijo Otabisho. The route of Shinko-sai is different for three mikoshi (portable shrines).
【Shinko-sai 2024 Schedule (confirmation required)】
Shinko-sai 2024 will be held from 16:00 on Wednesday, July 17th, 2024. At about 18:00, the departure ceremony of Shinko-sai will be held on the west stone steps of Yasaka Shrine, and at about 18:30, three mikoshi (portable shrines) will be raised above the head and turned clockwise, and then three mikoshi will go around the shrine parishioners’ district, and at about 21:00 to 22:00, three mikoshi will arrive at Shijo Otabisho one by one.
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2024 will start on July 1st, 2024 and end on July 31st, 2024.
Gion Matsuri Festival Schedule (July 1st-31st)
【Shinko-sai map & access】
Yasaka Shrine : 625 Gion-machi kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Yasaka Shrine Access : Gion bus stop, Keihan Gion Shijo Station, Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station
Shijo Otabisho : 624 Teianmaeno-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Shijo Otabisho Access : Shijyo Kawaramachi bus stop, Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station, Keihan Gion Shijo Station, Sabway Shijo Station
【Shinko-sai of Gion Matsuri brief overview】
Shinko-sai (神幸祭, Oide. おいで) is the highlight of Gion Matsuri Festival (祇園祭) ritual. Shinko-sai used to be held on June 7th of the lunar calendar, and with the transition to the new calendar after the Meiji Restoration, Shinko-sai was held on the day corresponding to June 7th of the lunar calendar. However, since the date was not fixed, Shinko-sai has been permanently held on July 17th since 1877. Shinko-sai is the first half of the mikoshi procession, in which three Mikoshi (portable shrines) go from Yasaka Shrine to Shijo Otabisho.
On July 17th, the streets and towns are purified by Former Festival Yamahoko-Junko in the morning. In the evening, Nakagoza Mikoshi, Higashigoza Mikoshi and Nishigoza Mikoshi go from Yasaka Shrine to the shrine parishioners’ district and go to Shijo Otabisho near Shijo Kawaramachi. By the way, before leaving, the departure ceremony of Shinko-sai is held on the west stone steps of Yasaka Shrine, and then three mikoshi (portable shrines) are raised above the head and turned clockwise. At Shinko-sai, Kuzekomagata-Chigo, the incarnation of the god with a komagata (horse head) on his chest representing the wild and brave spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, the deity of Ayato Kuninaka Shrine, leads Nakagoza Mikoshi. The route of Shinko-sai is different for three mikoshi (portable shrines), and the time of arrival at Shijo Otabisho is also different. On Shinko-sai, the procession of Miyamoto-gumi Jinpo-hojiretsu and the procession of Hoen Seishoji Sakaki-gyoretsu also parade along their routes.
From Shinko-sai to Kanko-sai on July 24th, three mikoshi (portable shrines) are placed in Shijo Otabisho and mugon-mode (silent worship) is held. It is said that if you visit the shrine every night from Shijo Ohashi Bridge to Shijo Otabisho without talking to anyone, your wish will come true.
★Nakagoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirit of Susano-no-mikoto, the main deity of Yasaka Shrine. Nakagoza Mikoshi has a hexagonal roof decorated with a phoenix (houo) and a purple kesagake representing the male deity. Nakagoza Mikoshi is said to weigh about 2 tons.
★Higashigoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirit of Kushiinadahime-no-mikoto, the wife of Susano-no-mikoto. Higashigoza Mikoshi has a rectangular roof decorated with a gibosu and a red kesagake. Higashigoza Mikoshi is said to weigh about 2 tons.
★Nishigoza Mikoshi carries the divine spirits of Yahashira-no-mikogami, the eight children of Susano-no-mikoto. Nishigoza Mikoshi has an octagonal roof decorated with a phoenix (houo) and a red kesagake. Nishigoza Mikoshi is said to weigh about 3.2 tons.
★Mikoshi (portable shrine) is carried by Yocho (Kakite) with the call of “hoito, hoito (hoit-o, hoit-o)”. Yocho (Kakite) carries mikoshi (portable shrine) with a step that makes his heels stick to his buttocks, and makes a “shanshan” sound by violently shaking the narikan attached to both ends of the nagae (carrying poles). It seems that the most common call throughout the country is “wasshoi, wasshoi,” but in Kyoto City, the most common call is “hoito, hoito (hoit-o, hoit-o)”. By the way, in the mikoshi procession, there are also chants such as “yoosa, yoosaa”, “yoiya-sassa”, and “yo-ito-seno”. During the mikoshi procession, “sashi-age” and “sashi-mawashi” are also performed. In “sashi-age”, while shouting “sase, sase”, Yocho (Kakite) extends his hand vertically and raises mikoshi aloft, shaking the narikan violently to make it sound “shanshan”. In addition, in “sashi-mawashi”, Yocho (Kakite) extends his hand vertically and raises mikoshi aloft, and turns mikoshi clockwise while shouting “mawase, mawase.” In the mikoshi procession, when mikoshi departs from or arrives at the shrine, “hiden-mairi” is sometimes performed, in which mikoshi go around Haiden three times while shaking the narikan violently and ringing “shanshan”. Incidentally, mikoshi is sometimes carried on a cart during the mikoshi procession. Before mikoshi procession, Yocho (Kakite) can be seen walking toward the shrine while holding the narikan over his head.
★Shijo Otabisho (Yasaka Shrine Otabisho, Gion Otabisho) is a place where three mikoshi (portable shrines) are temporarily enshrined during Gion Matsuri Festival from Shinko-sai to Kanko-sai. Shijo Otabisho was moved to its present location in 1591 during the Aduchi Momoyama period (1573-1603) when Hideyoshi Toyotomi merged Ohmandokoro Otabisho and Shoshoi Otabisho.
【Shinko-sai 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・・・)