The first day of “Senzaki Gion Festival 2023

Traditional summer festival held in the Senzaki district

The Senzaki Gion Festival is being held in the Senzaki district from today (Thursday, July 20) through Wednesday, July 26. On the first and last days of the festival, mikoshi (portable shrine) and floats will tour around the town, and Japanese dance performances will be performed on the floats. This article reports on the first day of the festival.

Omikoshi go around the town

The omikoshi leaves Yasaka Shrine at around 3:00 p.m. and travels around the town of Senzaki. The omikoshi is carried by the residents of Saiwaicho, who are in charge of the festival that year.

After making its way around the town of Senzaki, the mikoshi will finally be enshrined at the "Gion Shrine (Kogion)" in the town of Suzaki-cho. This shrine is returned to Yasaka Shrine on the last day of the festival.

Fair in Yasaka Shrine precincts

A fair was held on the grounds of Yasaka Shrine, which was crowded with vendors, mostly local organizations and restaurants.

Japanese dance and whale songs on floats

The maiko dance is performed twice a day at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on a float set up in front of Yasaka Shrine. The maiko are local children. The maiko are local children who have been practicing for months for this event.

In between dances, festival music is performed by local people.

Between the first and second parts of the dance, the children of Senzaki Elementary School sang "Whale Song" at 7:00.

Japanese dance on a float

At 8:00 p.m., when it is completely dark, the second part of the dance begins. The dance under the lights of lanterns has a different atmosphere from that of the daytime.

The first day of the festival ended with a dance performance by dancers who took turns for a little less than an hour. The dance will continue on the final day of the festival, the 26th, with another dance performance on omikoshi (portable shrine) and floats.

Related Links

Senzaki Gion Festival" event details page