Aoi Matsuri: Needs Moar Cowbell

I had planned to take the bus from Kitaoji Station back up to Kamigamo shrine, where my culture class was meeting around 3:30 to watch the Aoi Matsuri procession arrive. Unfortunately I was lacking some foresight that day, and failed to realize, until it was too late, that the procession processing along the road beside Kamo river would
1) back up traffic in the nearby are
2) completely stop the bus routes going to Kamigamo Jinja.
Apparently there are no such things as detours in Japan. So when another bus going in vaguely the same direction I needed to go in pulled out into complete standstill traffic on Kitaoji-dori, I waited for about 5 minutes, then flashed my all-day bus pass to the driver and disembarked with two others. I walked down to the intersection in hopes of crossing the bridge and catching a bus going uphill on the other side, but they weren't really letting people across.

a gissha

the Norijiri

So, I ended up walking along one of the small side roads next to the main one along Kamogawa, to get around the crowds stopping up the sidewalks and beat the procession to the shrine. At a very brisk pace, it still took me about 25 minutes to reach Kamigamo Jinja, where I managed to find my class, and a couple of other stray I-Housers.

I set up shop near the main torii at the front, somehow finding a spot near the rest of my class and a bit out of the way. (A bunch of the Japanese groused vociferously when a tourist tried to find a good spot to photograph...the good spot was basically right in their line of sight, so...) Margot found an excellent spot literally right at the torii--she didn't have to worry about getting separated from a class--
and so caught some really excellent close-up pictures. She's kindly allowed me to use any I'd like.

Aoi Matsuri (May 15), also known as the Hollyhock Festival for the principle decorative motif, is one of the three really big festivals in Kyoto, the other two being the Gion and Jidai Festivals. The imperial procession which is the origin of the festival has been faithfully reproduced since the 6th century, including traditional Heian period costumes. The first part of the festival is the Roto-no-Gi, followed by the Shato-no-Gi. The procession begins at the Imperial Palace in the morning, then travels to Shimogamo Jinja before finally coming to Kamigamo Jinja: first the imperial messenger and his entourage, then the Saio-dai and her suite.

Soume

Before Kyoto became the capital, Kamigamo and Shimogamo Jinja were the family shrines of the Kamo clan, one of the most influential families in Heian-Kyou besides the Korean-descended Hata clan.

In Shinto mythology, the story goes that Tamayorihime, the deity of Shimogamo, was bathing in the river when a red arrow came floating downstream. She put it under her pillow when she went to bed, and the arrow transformed into Oyamakuni in the form of a handsome young man. And you'll never believe what happens. In true, mythological, seductive, transforming-god style, Tamayorihime gets all pregnant, and then births the Kamigamo thunder deity Wakeikazuchi.

Furyu-gasa

Beiju

In the 6th century, a series of disasters devastated the land. When the emperor had his augur perform divination, they came to the conclusion that the deities of the Kamo shrines were feeling neglected (and also in true god-like fashion, throwing hissy fits.) The emperor sent the imperial messenger to perform rituals to sate the angered deities, and the disasters ceased. So, the tradition continued.

In the 8th century, there was an addition to the imperial messenger's retinue. The emperor decided one of his daughters should be given to devote her life in service to the Kamo deities. She was known as "Saio", and is called "Saio-dai" today; this tradition of one of the princesses sent to be the high priestess of these deities continued until the mid-13th century. The girls who are selected to represent her role today still wear the traditional 12-layered kimono.

the Saoi-dai's court ladies

court officials probably

And these below are Margot's pictures from Aoi Matsuri, after the procession.

You can see the ornamental hollyhock pinned into this guy's hat. Coincidentally--

considering the festival's original concern with natural disasters--

hollyhock is a very drought-resistant plant.

The ox-and-people-driven gissha, used to transport the emperor or courtiers, 

although today I think the carriages are usually empty. Very squeaky carriage.

more Hanagasa

archers

Beiju, the warrior musicians, again

the Saio-dai during the Shato-no-Gi

And super-samurai-dog made another appearance it seems...

After the procession finished, our culture class took a short walk down

the road to Ota Jinja, which is actually a sub-temple of Kamigamo Jinja.

(The images below are mine, again.)

A sacred cinnamon tree along the way...I actually remember passing by this

in my first week in Kyoto (that day we wandered lost for three hours, when I was in heels)

Ota Jinja has a famous, beautiful iris garden--which is in bloom in May!

And then we strolled back to Kamigamo Jinja, where some of the

shrine rites and rituals were still going on

or perhaps the rites were all wrapped up...

We passed by the corral where they kept the horses on the way out,

before going down the road in search of delicious, delicious yakisoba.

Rocky Waves, Hidden Signs

 

The next Saturday, I was to meet my Introduction to Japanese Culture class in the afternoon for Aoi Matsuri, one of the really big festivals in Kyoto. While I was out, I took a detour over to that shop right outside Daitokuji to see if the lady knew if/where I could get my netsuke fixed; one of the dragon's beady little eyes had fallen out. Since I'd bought the netsuke from that particular shop, the lady said she could repair it for free--it was really, really nice of her. And while I was near Daitokuji, and had some time before I needed to run off to Kamigamo Jinja, I figured I would walk through the grounds again, in case there was anything open I hadn't seen.

 As it so happened, one of the sub-temples which was closed down the first time we visited was open this time around. The daimyo Otomo Sori founded the Zuiho-in sub-temple in Daitokuji monastery before the mid-16th century, around the same time as the first influx of Spanish and Portuguese trade and missionaries. Otomo was among those who converted to Christianity, and was  thereafter known as the "Christian Daimyo." Not long afterward, Christianity was outlawed in Japan. 

 

The floorboards in the entry hall are made from Indian rosewood

 

and just outside of the entry hall...

 

the main karesansui garden, designed by Mirei Shigemori

 

and walking around to the garden on the other side...

 

a stone path leading away the Garden of the Cross, which we'll see in full soon

 

a screen painting in one of the tea rooms, with duckies

 

(The following photo isn't mine, but I found it on Wikipedia,

and the owner has released it into public domain.)

Here is the Garden of the Cross, also designed by Mirei Shigemori, in honor of Otomo.

You can see how the rocks are arranged in a cross.

 

While Christianity was never taught at Zuiho-in (of the Rinzai Buddhist sect), 

the temple has always respected its founder's beliefs

 

Back at the stone lantern just outside of the entrance hall we saw earlier.

The lantern in the rocks lines up directly with the vertical line of the cross in the garden,

and buried beneath the lantern is a statue of the Virgin Mary--to symbolize

the hundreds of years in which Christianity was banned.

 

I'm not sure who this little guy is peeking out from behind the water basin,

but he's kinda cute, in a possibly demonic sort of way.

...He might could be a guardian with a scary smile. They do that sometimes.

 

A peek inside Sangen-in, another sub-temple of Daitokuji

 

And now we leave the tranquility of the Daitokuji grounds for the tranquility of the surrounding residential areas...

 

Time to go.