Tokusa Yama of Gion Matsuri Festival

The information of Tokusa Yama is presented here. Tokusa Yama is a small-sized Yamahoko float (Kakiyama float), and its symbol is a pine tree reaching vertically to the sky. The “Tokusa” of Tokusa Yama is a plant of the genus Horsetail in the family of Horsetails. Tokusa has been used as an abrasive since ancient times. Tokusa is a plant that symbolizes autumn and is used in autumn seasonal words and waka poetry.

• Location Map ＆ Directions
• History and Brief Overview
• Features (subject to change)
• Events (confirmation required)

【Tokusa Yama Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: Tokusayama-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Subway Shijo Station (about 13 minutes on foot), Hankyu Karasuma Station (about 15 minutes on foot)
Location: Tokusa Yama is located on Bukkoji-dori, about 90 meters west of the intersection of Nishinotoin-dorii (north-south) and Bukkoji-dori (east-west).

【Tokusa Yama and Brief Overview】

★The origin of Tokusa Yama (木賊山) is not clear. Tokusa Yama is not mentioned in the “Gionshaki (Records of Yasaka Shrine)”, which describes the names of Yamahoko floats and places in the middle of the Muromachi period (1336-1573) before the Onin War (1467-1477), and it is said that Tokusa Yama was founded after the Onin War.

★Tokusa Yama is derived from the yokyoku “Tokusa” which depicts Okina (an old man) who has had his child kidnapped by someone and is alone cutting down the tokusa in the village of Shinano (Nagano) Fuseya. A monk from the capital took the boy to Shinano (Nagano) to meet his father. The monk met with the old man, and the old man entertained the monk and the boy, ran an inn, and earnestly complained that he was searching for his child. The boy introduced himself to the old man as Matsuwakayo, and they were happy to see each other again. The yokyoku “Tokusa” is said to be the work of Zeami, a Sarugaku (Noh) master of the Muromachi period (1336-1573).
★The “Tokusa” of Tokusa Yama is a plant of the genus Horsetail in the family of Horsetails, which has underground stems that extend horizontally and erect above-ground stems, and grows naturally in mountainous wetlands from central Honshu to Hokkaido. The stems of Tokusa are boiled and dried, and they are used for polishing like paper files. In addition, the dried stems are said to be effective against redness and watery eyes and can be used as a herbal medicine called “Mokuzo”.
★Zeami was born as the son of Kan’ami, the sarugaku (Noh) master of the Yamato sarugaku Yuzaki-za. He performed with the Yuzaki-za from an early age and also studied under Chikuso Chigon at Hugan-ji Temple in Toichi District, Yamato Province (Nara). He performed in the Sarugaku (Noh) play staged by Kan’ami at the Ima Kumano Shrine in Kyoto, which attracted the attention of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the 3rd Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, and earned him the patronage of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Zeami and Kan’ami developed the sarugaku into the ethereal Noh (Mugen Noh), and Zeami wrote the Noh play treatises “Fushikaden” and “Hanagami.
*reference・・・Tokusa Yama website

【Features (subject to change)】

★Tokusa Yama weighs about 0.67 tons. (2008 Data) Tokusa Yama is marked by a pine tree reaching into the sky.
★The Goshintai (deity figure) is a life-size doll on Okina (an old man) with a mino on his waist, a sickle in his right hand, and a tokusa (wooden bandit) in his left hand. On the footstool of the Goshintai (deity figure), there is an ink inscription of “Genroku 5th year (1692) June a lucky day” in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), and the head of the Goshintai (deity figure) is said to have been made by the Buddhist sculptor Kasuga.
★The mizuhiki is the tsudurenishiki with the sun ring phoenix pattern and the embroidery of “Doshaku figure”, the mae-kake (front) is the embroidery of the “Tojin Koueki-zu (Chinese trade)”, and the miokuri (back) is the tsudurenishiki of the Chinese Min dynasty with the peony shuangfeng pattern. The tsudurenishiki with the “Chugoku Koji Jinbutsu-zu (Chinese historical figures)” of the do-kake (left and right side) were replaced by replicas from 1999 to 2001. The old miokuri (back) was the tsudurenishiki with the “Sennin Monko-zu”, and the old mizuhiki was the English woven carpet with a Middle Eastern geometric design, the ato-kake (back) was designed with “Ryokuchi Soka (the green and flower)” pattern, and they are still in storage.
★The metal fittings of the ranbuchi are a cloud dragon pattern, and the square metal fittings are a To-uchiwa (Chinese fan), tokusa and silver rabbit pattern.
★Chimaki, which have the benefit of preventing lost children and reuniting them, towels and amulets for lost children, etc. are available for purchase.

【Events (confirmation required)】

★In Former Festival Yoiyama from July 14th to July 16th, Komagata-chochin lanterns of Tokusa Yama are lit and Gion-bayashi (Gion Matsuri music) is played in the evening.
★In Former Festival Yamahoko-Junko (Float Procession, Yamaboko Parade) on July 17th, Yamahoko floats, including Tokusa Yama depart from Shijo-Karasuma and parade along Shijo-dori, Kawaramachi-dori, and Oike-dori.

【Tokusa Yama 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・・・）