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Jidai Matsuri

The Jidai Matsuri, or Festival of the Ages, was started in 1895 to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto's designation as capital of Japan. To this day it remains one of Kyoto's three main festivals, in good company with the Gion Festival and the Aoi Festival.


Samurai bowmen in the parade, with their magnificent 6' bows.
The festival began with a small parade of people divided into six sections, with each section representing a different period in Japanese history. Participants would be dressed entirely in period garb as the marched through the centre of the city, starting in the Imperial Palace and ending in the Heian Shrine.

The parade also includes representations of the many ladies who were a part of the Imperial Court.

By 1931 the parade had been expanded to 10 sections, and today it is comprised of over 2,000 people, all splendidly dressed in clothing and armour from the various time periods.

The parade itself offers an interesting look at the long and colourful history of Japan, and seeing the dress from the various periods gives the unique chance to view for oneself the richness of the culture of bygone days here in the old capital.

Two Samurai blowing into warhorns fashioned from seashells.
It also allows a small peek into modern life in Japan, as well. Far from being a sham festival for the benefit of foreign tourists, the vast majority of Jidai Matsuri's 150,000 spectators are Japanese. This, of course, offers yet another chance for the aspiring photographer to be humbled by the throngs of well-equipped Japanese hobbiests. With lenses longer than some sections of the parade and step ladders to get them above the crowd, these enthusiastic amateurs made me absolutely certain that I must be taking the worst pictures at the parade.

A group of Samurai marching in with an old-style standard-bearer in tow. While this style of battle standard was once used to display the colours of ones' feudal lord, they are now more commonly seen in front of convenience stores advertising chicken.

Held on October 22nd of each year, the Jidai Matsuri is a fun way to take in a bit of the history of Kyoto. Although few are likely to sit through all 5 hours of the procession, a small dose of the parade offers the rare chance to see what any foreigner in Japan really came to see anyway: Samurai.

Many of my students have asked whether I thought, before I came to Japan, that many Japanese were still Samurai and Ninja. While I swear to the contrary, I can now secretly go home having satisfied myself with a Captain Blackthorne moment. How sweet it is.

 

 

 

 

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