The inner torii in festive garb
Yesterday Kyoto’s Aoi Festival took place, and since I’ve seen the festival several times I thought I’d take a stroll this year around Kamigamo Shrine after the proceedings had ended. I was glad I did, for I found the shrine to be full of interest and activity, without the crowds that can make such occasions irksome. Though I only had my old iphone camera to hand, there was sufficient light left in the day for a few rough shots…
Attractive suzu bells were fixed to the top of the rope at the small enmusubi shrine. Notice the five colours on the banner representing the five elements.
A long queue at the Honden (Worship Hall), which unusually was open for worship since the kami is temporarily absent during the shikinen sengu cycle of renewal due to be completed later this year.
Sprigs of the aoi-katsura tree were on sale for ¥300 to fix at the entrance to homes as a protection against evil spirits and illness. At the bottom is a picture from a medieval scroll to show that this was ancient practice.
Even though the crowds had dispersed, the shrine office was still doing brisk business…
…. one of the most popular items were sheep omikuji fortune slips (this being the year of the sheep).
In creative fashion, the omikuji were tied up in an arrangement that with a bit of imagination can be seen to be a sheep.
In fact, sheep seemed to be everywhere. This one, at the entrance to the compound, was carved by a chainsaw.
The shrine boasts a fine collection of newly printed ema. This heart-shaped one with a Heian-era court lady and short poem is for finding a good love relationship.
On the back are the two leaves of the shrine’s emblematic plant known as Futaba Aoi. This person, who gives her name and address, asks to find a good connection to someone.
Another of the ema shows the display of horse skills that is one of the pre-events for the Aoi Festival
Here is displayed a manifestation of the shrine’s kami, Wakeikazuchi no mikoto, a thunder deity
An example of the new-style privacy covering for people who don’t want others reading their love wishes. Unfortunately the innovation hasn’t been perfected yet for when it rains the covering strips off to reveal all…
On the way out I came across this curious monk who had wandered in to take a look at the shrine. His hat was covered in yellow tape, the ‘deerskin’ that shugendo ascetics wear on their backs was some kind of rug, and his wooden pole looked like an old broom handle. I asked him if he was a yamabushi (mountain ascetic) and rather brusquely he answered that he was Zen. The picture on his case by the way is of himself – perhaps it’s his way of reflecting on the ego.