The is a traditional Japanese festival (also called

matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance to ...

) held annually on October 22 in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is one of Kyoto's renowned three great festivals, with the other two being the ''

Aoi Matsuri The , or "Hollyhock Festival", (although commonly, but mistakenly identified as "hollyhock", the "aoi" actually belongs to the birthwort family and translates as "wild ginger"—Asarum, as correctly pointed in the Wikipedia article on the Tokug ...

'', held annually on May 15, and the ''

Gion Matsuri The is one of the largest and most famous festivals in Japan, taking place annually during the month of July in Kyoto. Many events take place in central Kyoto and at the Yasaka Shrine, the festival's patron shrine, located in Kyoto's famous Gion ...

'', which is held annually from 17 to July 24. It is a festival enjoyed by people of all ages, participating in its

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or ...

parade dressed in authentic costumes representing various periods, and characters in Japanese feudal history. Jidai Matsuri traces its roots to the relocation of the Japanese capital from Kyoto to Tokyo during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...

in 1868. This involved the relocation of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the wi ...

and the Imperial family, the Imperial Palace, and thousands of government officials and subjects to the new city. Fearing for Kyoto's loss of glory and interest from her people, and to commemorate its history, the city government and the Kyoto prefectural government commemorated the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Heian-kyō (平安京), which was the former name of Kyoto, in 794 by (737–806). To inaugurate the first Jidai celebration in 1895, the city government built the to enshrine the spirit of Emperor Kanmu. To add meaning to the festival, it staged a costume procession representing people of each era in Kyoto history. In 1940, the local government decided that on top of honouring Emperor Kanmu, the Jidai festival was also to be held in honour of (July 22, 1831 – January 30, 1867) for his work in unifying the country, the power of the imperial court and the affirmation of Kyoto as the center of Japan at the decline of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia' ...

and the end of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterize ...

. The Jidai Matsuri begins in early morning with the

mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

(portable shrines) brought out of the

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877. Today, the grounds are open ...

so that people may pay their respects. The mikoshi represents both Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Kōmei. The five-hour, two-kilometer costume procession begins in the afternoon, with approximately 2,000 performers dressed as

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the ''daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ha ...

, military figures, and common people, from the earliest eras to the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by ...

. These are followed by Japanese women who are dressed in elaborate . Finally, the mikoshi are carried from the palace and are accompanied by a costumed military band that plays the gagaku. The procession ends at the

Heian Shrine The is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The Shrine is ranked as a ''Beppyō Jinja'' () (the top rank for shrines) by the Association of Shinto Shrines. It is listed as an important cultural property of Japan. History 220 ...

. The Jidai Matsuri in 2019 is rescheduled to 26 October due to the Enthronement ceremony of

Emperor Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. ...

. Image:Jidai Festival.jpg Image:JidaiMatsuri_Bugyo.jpg Image:Jidai Matsuri-Yoshino Period 1.jpg

References

{{coord missing, Kyoto Prefecture Cultural festivals in Japan Festivals in Kyoto Historical reenactment events Tourist attractions in Kyoto Festivals established in 1868 Festivals established in 1895 Arts festivals in Japan Religious festivals in Japan Autumn events in Japan