What is Gion Festival

Gion festival has around 1100 years history and it’s continues from July 1st until the end of the month.

Gion festival is one of the three major festival of Japan and one of the three major festivals of Kyoto. The diserves notice point of the festival is “Yamaboko”. Yamaboko is a large wooden removable turrent and pulls that whole central area of Kyoto. Even the season is so hot and wet, around 1,800,000 people visit for the festival every year.

History and Point

The origin of Gion festival is an epidemic in 869 A.D. and the court stand 66 spears to purify the capital. There understood the epidemic has spiritual and supernatural power cause. So this festival is originally come from a ritual meaning.

The main day of the festival is July 17th, people pulls and move the 32 large Yamahoko passes through one of the main street Shijo street. Before the main event, 15th and 16th, decollated Yamahoko with unique music (even in japan the music is unique). Gion festival was suspended since the battle of 1467 A.D. but the effort of the people, restarted around 1500 A.D.

The festival became more gorgeous in Edo period (1603-1868) as finished a long battle era which was continued more than hundred years and because of that eht economy was developed ever since before. There are many Gion festivals in other local area in Japan and those are followed the style and way of the Gion festival of Kyoto.