In the year 1135 Japan was suffering from widespread famine and disease outbreaks brought about by excessive rain, flooding and failed crops. In a bid to bring an end to the flooding and provide relief to the people of Japan, the Imperial Court Regent, Fujiwara no Tadamichi, ordered the construction of a shrine and altar, the Wakamiya Shrine, dedicated to the deity Ame no Oshikumone, the child of Kasuga Shrine’s 3rd and 4th most important deities. Upon the shrine’s completion a number of prayer ceremonies were held asking for the deity’s intervention in the rain and flooding. Miraculously or coincidentally, the following year the rain and the flooding ended and Japan enjoyed the relief that had been prayed for. The On-matsuri Festival, a continuation and evolution of the original prayer for good harvests, the health and prosperity of the nation, and a relief from natural disasters, was established and held on the 17th of September in 1136. Apart from the date of the festival being moved to December during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the On-matsuri has been held every year since its inception without interruption. It will be held for the 881st time in 2016!
The modern On-matsuri takes place from December 15th through December 18th, but the main events are held on December 17th. The Owatari-shiki “Procession of Eras,” features upward of 500 participants dressed in the clothing of the Heian (794-1185) through Edo (1603-1868) eras. Bugaku and gagaku - historic Imperial Court music and dancing, and horseback archery are also some of the highlights of this great and historic event. The Owatari-shiki kicks off the festival at JR Nara Station at noon. See you in Nara?
Works consulted:
http://www.kasugataisha.or.jp/onmatsuri/wakamiya.html (Japanese)
http://www.genbu.net/saijin/osikumo.htm (Japanese)
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%98%A5%E6%97%A5%E5%A4%A7%E7%A4%BE (Japanese)
http://www.narahaku.go.jp/english/exhibition/2012toku/2012on-matsuri/2012on-matsuri_e.html
https://www.narashikanko.or.jp/en/event/event_data/ivnt125/index.html
https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/spot/festival/kasugawakamiyaon.html
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/festivals-of-japan-kasuga-wakamiya-on-matsuri-in-nara/
https://www.japan-experience.com/city-nara/kasuga-wakamiya-on-matsuri
Photo Credits
“On-matsuri Matsu no Shita Shiki Ceremony.” This Wikipedia creative commons image from user Lovelin6th is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Onmatsuri7.jpeg under the cc sa 4.0 international license.
“Kasuga Wakamiya Shrine.” This Wikipedia creative commons image from user Lovelin6th is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kasugawakamiya.jpg under the cc sa 4.0 international license.
“Procession of Nodachi Swords at the On-matsuri.” This Wikipedia creative commons image from user Lovelin6th is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Onmatsuri8.jpg under the cc sa 4.0 international license.
“Jidai Dai-gyoretsu Procession.” This Wikipedia creative commons image from user Corpse Reviver is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jidai_Matsuri_2009_285.jpg under the cc sa 3.0 license.
“Yabusame Horseback Archery.” This Flickr creative commons image from user Ryosuke Yagi is freely available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/compose-r/2950620649 under the cc 2.0 license.
“Yabusame Horseback Archery from the front.” This Wikipedia creative commons image from user Edomura no Tokuzo is freely available at https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:%E6%98%8E%E6%B2%BB%E7%A5%9E%E5%AE%AE%E3%83%BC%E6%B5%81%E9%8F%91%E9%A6%AC.JPG under the cc sa 3.0 license.