The long festival

People originally created the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri to pray away an epidemic. Later on people associated it with guaranteeing a good harvest. Because of the importance of the harvest in ancient Japan, the festival lasts for four days: from December 15th to 18th. If you can only be there for one day, aim for December 17th, as it’s the main day of the event.

Soak up the musical performances at the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri

The various traditional performances such as kagura, music dedicated to the gods, and bugaku, court music with dance, will surely leave you with a different appreciation for traditional Japanese musicianship. The Japanese government designated the music of the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri as an important cultural property of Japan. The people of Nara passed down these dances from one generation to another, and many of these musical performances can only be seen at this festival.

Ancient Japanese fashions at the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri

If you are interested in seeing the fashion and culture of bygone eras, the Procession of the Eras (Jidai no gyouretsu 時代の行列) is a must-see. In this procession, the customs, manners, and clothing of every major period from the Heian (794-1185) to the Edo (1603-1868) are authentically replicated. It’s a unique chance to see over 1,000 years of art and culture in one place.

Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri Great Precession

This procession may also be called Otabisho (お旅所). This occurs on November 17th at 12 pm. The procession starts from Noboriojo, goes through Aburasaka near Kintetsu Nara station, and ends after passing through the tori gate (Ichi no Tori) near JR Nara station. At the end near “Yogou no Matsushita” they perform the “Matsushita Shiki”, a kind of ceremony. There are 12 different sections of the procession: musicians, priestesses, shrine maidens, dengaku (田楽), Bachou no Chigo (a ceremonial child riding on horseback), the racing horses and their riders, horse archers, horse as offering to the shrine, the parade of swords, Yamato samurai (servants of the Yamato), procession of the Daimyo (local area lords).

From the Japan National Tourist Office

References

In English

https://ohmatsuri.com/en/articles/nara-kasuga-wakamiya-on-matsuri-festival

https://www.visitnara.jp/venues/E02102/

In Japanese

http://www.kasugataisha.or.jp/onmatsuri/

https://narashikanko.or.jp/event/春日若宮おん祭／春日大社/

Photo thanks to Tsunaki Koike @ OhMatsuri.com.

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