Dates: May 15th
Place: Shimogamo-jinja Shrine and Kamigamo-jinja Shrine
Kyoto Imperial Palace: Kyoto Gyoen, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City
Shimogamo-jinja Shrine: Shimogamo Izumigawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City
Kamigamo-jinja Shrine: Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto City
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Some 500 people in Hein-period dress and traditional make-up, parade through the main streets of Kyoto. The Aoi (Hollyhock) leaves are used as ornaments on the people’s costumes and on the cows and horses of the procession, giving the festival its name “Aoi Matsuri”. The procession of beautifully outfitted ox carts accompanied by the traditionally dressed people leave the Old Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) in the morning and wind their way up north, stopping around noon at Shimogamo Shrine and then heading on to arrive late in the afternoon at Kamigamo Shrine. This festival dates back to the sixth century and is one of Kyoto’s three major annual events. The hollyhock was believed to have the power to ward off lightning and earthquakes.
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