It’s been cool in the morning and the evening in Kyoto, but it’s the best timing to come sightseeing.
Many events are held this weekend so we recommend Kasagake Shinji held at Kamigamo Shrine for you.
What’s the Kasagake Shinji?
Kasagake Shinji, Kasagake Archery is one of the traditional equestrian event in Kyoto, in which riders shoot targets both on the ground and at eye level while riding their horses at full speed.
The archers take aim at five targets: three at shoulder-height (Tōkasagake) and two closer to the ground (Kokasagake) to simulate more realistic military maneuvers on the battlefield.
If you know Yabusame ritual held in Shimogamo Shrine, you might think Kasagake ritual is similar to it.
Compared to that, Kasagake ritual is more casual ritual and realistic equestrian.
Since commentary is provided in English, it is easy for tourists to understand and enjoy it.
Schedule for Kasagake Shinji
12:30 Paticipants take a pulification for the ritual at the main hall
13:00~13:30 The ritual to pray for peace at the event place
13:30 Trial run for horses to let them calm
13:40 Archery ritual starts
14:45 Finish
Why is the mounted archery associated with ritual?
We know there are a lot of equestrian events all over the world.
Japan also has several ones, kurabeuma (traditional horse racing) ,yabusame and kasagake (horseback archery).
It is a traditional riding technique in Japan that was originally performed as a form of mounted archery, but also became associated with ritual events at shrines.
But why are Japanese associated with like that?
Both horse racing and horseback archery have been since Heian era and the important thing is horses.
People believe horses are animal messengers that the Gods ride when coming down to the world.
So there are many shinto rituals related with horses in Japan.
For example, it is said that those who see a blue horse (having black and bluish colors) at the beginning of the year will be free of evil spirits for the year and enjoy longevity.
This belief originated in a Chinese historical event.
Thus the “Aouma-Shinji” held at the Sumiyoshi Taisha is based on that story.
The reason why horses are used for rituals is that they are a sacred animal and it is said that some rituals in imperial court are taken over to shrines.
Last, the ema (ritual wooden tablets inscribed with wishes and prayers), often found at Shinto shrines, feature a representation of a horse. These replaced the use of a living horse in modern ceremonies.
Information
Address:
Kamigamo Shrine; 339, Kamigamo motoyama, Kita ku, Kyoto 603-8047
Access:
Infront of “Kamigamo jinja mae(上賀茂神社前)” bus stop on the Kyoto Bus #4 at Kyoto Station
15-minute walk from “Kitayama(北山)” Station on Subway Karasuma line
Event Day&Time:
October 20th,2019/ 12:30~16:00
Admission Fee:
Free *Except Charged Seat
Do you need more information?
You should receive such local information of Kyoto by an application “KoI APP”.
With this application, even if you don’t have Wi-Fi, you can find nearby stores and so on.
You can install the application from the following URL.
