The “Kyo-no-Tanabata” (京の七夕, Tanabata festival in Kyoto) was held at Kitano-Tenmangu.
As the opening event of the Tanabata Festival, the Ashitsuke Toumyo Shinji Ceremony (足つけ灯明神事) and the Ishinoma Street Passage through the Gohonden (御本殿) were held on August 1.
The event was attended by local officials from Kamishichiken, the Taishogun shopping street, the Kitano shopping street, and others.
Geiko from Kami Shichiken and Miss Campus Ritsumeikan University also participated, making the event spectacular.
During the Kyo-no-Tanabata period, the Kitano-Tenmangu is decorated with illuminated Tanabata decorations, creating a fantastic sight that is different from its daytime appearance.
The torii gate, the main shrine building, and the Odoi walls were also beautifully decorated with lights.
Tanabata festival at Kitano-Tenmangu in Kyoto
The “Kyo-no-Tanabata” event used to be held every August at two venues, one on the Kamogawa River and the other on the Horikawa River.
This year, the number of venues has increased to seven.
Various Tanabata events were held at each venue, such as Tanabata-related wind-bell lighting and the bamboo and light promenades.
At the Kitano-Kamiyagawa venue at Kitano Tenmangu, which was added this year, the Kitano Tanabata Festival was held from August 1 to 14.
During the festival, the following events were held:
- Tanabata decorations in the precincts of the shrine
- The lighting of the main shrine building and the shrine’s main gate
- Nighttime worship services
In addition, the Kitano-michozu-shinji ceremony (北野御手水神事) has been revived as a special event from August 12 to 14.
The Mitarashi River Ashitsuke Toumyo Shinji (御手洗川足つけ灯明神事) and the Gohonden Ishi-no-Ma walk-through ritual will be held from August 12 to 14.
This is a chance to visit the national-treasure Gohonden Ishi-no-Ma (御本殿 石の間), which is not usually open to the public.
Mitarashi River Ashitsuke Toumyo Shinji Ceremony
On August 1, Kitano-Tenmangu held the Mitarashi River Ashitsuke Toumyo Shinji Watarihajimeshiki Ceremony to mark the start of the “Kyo-no-Tanabata” festival.
This event was attended by local officials, including representatives from the Kaminashiken Takumi Association, the Kitano Monzen Kankokai, the Taishogun Shopping Street, and the Kitano Shopping Street.
This day’s Watarihajimeshiki ceremony was for local people only, and the Mitarashi River Ashitsuke Toumyo Shinji Ceremony, in which the general public can participate, will be held from August 12.
Before Watarihajimeshiki ceremony, there were speeches by Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa and Shigetoku Tachibana, the chief priest of Kitano Tenmangu.
Cross the bridge over the Mitarashi River, take off your shoes, and receive a candle.
While lighting their candles, people enter the Mitarashi River and immerse themselves in the water up to their ankles to purify themselves from evil spirits with the pure water.
After proceeding 30 meters along the Mitarashi River, visitors draw a water omikuji, climb out of the river, and dedicate a candle.
Visitors proceed from the precincts to the back of the hall of worship. The lit-up worship hall was truly fantastic.
the national treasure Gohonden Ishi-no-Ma
The beautifully illuminated worship hall and main shrine of Kitano Tenmangu are connected by a stone room between them.
The main hall and the worship hall were built in 1607 in the Gongen-zukuri style, and the Ishi-no-Ma and the Raku-no-Ma on either side of the worship hall are also part of the same building.
The carvings and decorations on the transoms are made of metal carvings and lacquer, and the entire structure is designated as a National Treasure.
The Gohonden Ishi-no-Ma (stone hall) is located between the hall of worship and the main shrine, and was built by Toyotomi Hideyori in the early 17th century.
As a sacred place connecting the world of gods and humans, only priests are allowed to enter.
Finally, visitors enter the main shrine building and pass through the Ishi-no-Ma.
This is what the interior of the Ishi-no-Ma of the main hall looks like. Worshippers were praying toward the main hall.
Please note that it is bad manners to point your camera towards the main hall and the treasures.
After the visit to the shrine, we gathered in a large room at the Kitano-Tenmangu compound to rest.
Finally, we heard a talk by a priest of Kitano-Tenmangu, and the “Kyo-no-Tanabata” opening event was completed successfully.
Tanabata and Mitarashi Festivals at Kitano Tenmangu
At Kitano Tenmangu, the Mitarashi Festival, a Tanabata ritual associated with Heian-kyo, has been held since ancient times on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
The Mitarashi Festival is positioned as one of the four seasonal festivals in Kitano, a significant ceremony that signifies a purification ritual.
The Mitarashi Festival has been continued since ancient times as a misogi ritual to purify evil spirits with the pure water of the Mitarashi River, but was simplified in the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
Originally, a river originating near Kinkakuji Temple flowed through Kitano Tenmangu, and its water was purified in the precincts of the shrine and used as imperial water for the Heian-kyo capital.
The restored Mitarashi River is a clear stream that follows the flow of that river.
Kitano-Tenmangu, Kyo-no-Tanabata Event Schedule
※ The following information is current as of 2016. Please check the official page for current information.
At Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine, the Gohonden Ishi-no-Ma Street Passage (16:00 – 20:00, initial fee 1,000 yen) and the Mitarashi River Adding Lantern Ceremony (9:00 – 20:00, initial fee 300 yen) will be held from August 12 to 14.
Illumination of the precincts of the shrine and the Odoi area (sunset to 9:00 p.m.) begins on August 1. It is free to just walk around the illuminated precincts and Odoi gate, and it is worth a visit.
During the Tanabata Festival in Kyoto, the blue maple trees at the historic site of Odoi, a site established by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, are also beautifully illuminated.
Various other public events and activities are scheduled, including a special viewing of the sacred sword and komainu (guardian dogs) in the Treasure Hall.
For more information on special viewing periods and initial fees, please visit the official website of Kitano Tenmangu.
Japanese Article : 京の七夕 北野天満宮の七夕祭と御手洗祭
Comments