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Frommer's Guide
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FEATURES AND EVENTS
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Gion Matsuri Yamaboko
by Tom Clynes
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Held Annually: Month of July
Locale: Kyoto, Japan
Nearest Airport:
Kyoto (UKY)
General Information:
Japan National Tourist Organization, tel. 212-757-5640
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Gion Matsuri Yamaboko is one of the world's great urban festivals, and features a huge parade in which two-story houses called hoko are hauled through the streets on massive wheels by teams of 20 men. This very unusual parade dates back to the ninth century, when the priest at Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine used the parade as a means of asking the gods to end a plague.
Over the course of the month, the celebration includes various events, such as heron dancing, Shinto ritual music, and processions of flower sunshades. The parade of hoko attracts huge crowds to the city of Kyoto. Some of the floats have dancers and entire orchestras mounted on top, playing flute and drum music that's unique to the festival.
The hoko are alternated with smaller displays called yama, which are carried on the shoulders of men. During the days before the parade, bright paper lanterns light up the city. Many residents of Kyoto invite visitors into their houses, displaying antique kimonos, screens, and other family treasures.•
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Inside Scoop |
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During the parade, bystanders try to position themselves at a corner. The wheels of the hoko are fixed, necessitating a bizarre turning operation in which changes in course are effected by fearless attendants who push blocks under the moving wheels. Major turns call for more extreme efforts, negotiated by teams who pull sideways after the front wheels have been bound by ropes and jammed with bamboo blocks.
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