During our stay in Kyoto, we were able to witness several public celebrations. By mere chance on the Sunday afternoon of May 12th, the festival of Imamiya passed our Resi-Stay on Senbon Dori (street). A great commotion accompanied the arrival of the Shinko-sai, a parade of Mikoshi (portable shrines) carried on sturdy shoulders. Traffic came to a halt as a swell of men danced and rocked the massive Mikoshi with great effort and enthusiasm.
Three days later on May 15, we experienced the Aoi Matsuri Festival, a silent procession which began at the Imperial palace then proceeded to the Simogamo Jinja Shrine and eventually ended at the Kamigamo Jinja Shrine. Participants were dressed in traditional costumes of the Heian period as they followed court carriages, oxen and horsemen. This annual ritual with over 500 participants, is considered one of the three most important festivals in Kyoto.
In sharp contrast to the raucous Imamiya parade earlier in the week, this event had a solemn tone with the costumed entourage and onlookers alike spellbound in silence.
The following Clip offers a sense of the procession:
In Kyoto there are over 1600 temples and more than 400 shrines. Many of these temples are important national cultural properties and are the home temples to several Japanese Buddhist sects. The impressive Chion-in temple is now, in 2024, celebrating 850 years since the founding of the Jodoshu (Pure Land school)) by former Tendai monk Honen Shonin. Currently, posters and a large carved pillar located within the complex, praise the anniversary and within the large halls numerous commemorative services are ongoing.
Unlike the sprawling Chion-in grounds, there are also many small neighborhood temples and some, like the Rokkaku-do ji temple, maintain a timeless relevance despite the surrounding tall buildings of modern Kyoto.
We were partial to one temple in particular, the Nishi Honganji (Hongan=primal vow ji=temple). This is the home temple of Jodo Shinshu (Jodo=Pure land, Shin=new/true, Shu=school/sect) as founded by Shinran Shonin the early 1200s. Jodo Shinshu is also commonly known as Shin Buddhism. In the US, the Buddhist Churches of America are the Shin temples affiliated with this Kyoto mother temple. For Tammy and I, it was the Shin practice that offered our first introduction to Buddhism.
We were fortunate to be in Kyoto during Shinran Day, the 16th of each month, and for the celebration of Shinran’s birthday (21 May 1173). During these two special occasions, we joined tours of buildings and gardens not normally open to the public, and enjoyed participating in several services held in the large Founder’s Hall.
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