We are now in the premises of Nonomiya Shrine in Kyoto.(Arashiyama)
I came here to see Saigu Parade (An imperial mission that escorts imperial princess to Ise Shrine,Mie prefecture.)
Ise Shrine (Mie pref.) has been the most prestigious Shrine in Japan since ancient times,that is why an imperial princess in Kyoto visited there instead of the Emperor to serve God.
Every time when Emperor changed,new imperial princess was sent to Ise.
This parade has continued since 1300 years ago.
Now is the time of their arrival.
So many people were waiting for them to come...
Here they come.
These men dressed blue are "Shou-juu"（将従）.
They have bows and arrows,and guarded this party.
This man on the horse is the supervisor who is responsible for this party.
He is "Kansou-shi" （監送使）.
He is marching playing an instrument (Shou 笙).
There were also children who plays flutes.
This is "Saiou-dai" (An imperial princess).
Of course she is not real imperial woman,she is a private citizen,
she disguises as an imperial princess today.
They are high-ranking court ladies,called "Myou-bu"（命婦）.
The woman who wears headdress is "Uneme"（采女）.
She engages in religious matteres.
These women are "Nyo-juu" （女嬬）.
They take care of an imperial princess.
They are Arashiyama local people,today they disguise as ancient Heian people,and march Arashiyama.
They are trying to maintain this traditional parade,and recreate the parade faithfully every year.
I want to write more on next post.
Thank you for reading this post!
Hoping you a wonderful day.
As I already wrote in other comment, you are so lucky to be there, in the middle of all these events and festivals, which remind people about history and traditions. Thanks for these pics!
ReplyDelete@Traveling Hawk,
ReplyDeleteThank you,Traveling Hawk!
If you enjoy the atmosphere of this event,I'm so happy :)
Hi Kumiko, I have enjoyed your photos and your info about them. It is very interesting!
ReplyDeleteHi Kumiko, your photos are really beautiful. I would love to see this festival one day and also experience Japan when there is so much greenery. I have been to Arashiyama during winter and sakura which might look very different.
ReplyDelete@Freida,
ReplyDeleteThank you,Freida,for visiting and leaving a warm comment on my blog.
I'm happy if you enjoy this post.How have you been these days? Hope you're having a wonderful day:)
@Toni,
ReplyDeleteThank you,Toni,for visiting and leaving a warm comment on my blog.
This event is held every autumn on October 19 at Nonomiya-Shrine,Kyoto.
This shrine is a start point of their parade.They start this shrine at noon and march around Arashiyama.Yes,there is so much greenery,the parade is wonderful,it is worth seeing :)
How lovely ! We have historical parades here too , but I must admit I've never been to any of them. Looking at this perhaps I should go see them...
ReplyDelete@Walter,
ReplyDeleteThank you,Walter!
Oh,I want to see your historical parades,too. It must be wonderful.
It must be interesting to compare the two historical parades.