🏮 Iwashimizu Sai
石清水祭
Yawata, Kyoto (Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine) · Every year, from the evening of 14 September to late night on 15 September
On today
Rooms around Yawata, Kyoto fill up while the festival is on.
The Iwashimizu Festival at Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, is held annually from the evening of September 14 to late night on the 15th. It is one of Japan's three major imperial festivals, along with the Kamo Festival (Aoi Festival) and Kasuga Festival. Of the 80,000 shrines nationwide, only 16 host imperial festivals, and this is known as a solemn annual rite attended by an imperial messenger representing the Emperor. The festival's origins date back to the 5th year of Emperor Seiwa's reign (863), when it was first called the Iwashimizu Hojoe, a ceremony in which the Hachiman deity descended to the banks of the Hojogawa River flowing at the foot of Mt. Otokoyama to release living fish and birds and pray for the peace of all things. It became an imperial festival in the 2nd year of Tenryaku (948), was suspended for about 200 years, and was revived in the 7th year of Enpo (1679). The highlight is the divine procession starting at 2:00 AM on the 15th. The deity's spirit is transferred to a portable shrine (mikoshi), and about 500 attendants, illuminated by torches and lanterns, descend from the main shrine atop Mt. Otokoyama to the temporary shrine at the foot of the mountain. After the ancient ceremony of offering, a release ritual is held at the Hojogawa River, and in the evening the deity returns to the mountain. This solemn ritual, called a 'living classic,' continues to adorn Kyoto's autumn.
Getting there
Get off at Keihan Electric Railway's Yawatashi Station, then immediately after getting off at the cable car's Otokoyama-sanjo Station. Alternatively, about 20 minutes on foot.
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