• Shikoku Pilgrimage
• Amy Katoh
• Kumamoto Castle
• Uchiwa
• Enoden
• Ekiben
• The On Matsuri
• Kusatsu Onsen
• Interview with a Geisha
• 'Anime' Fatasy at the Ghibli Museum

The On Matsuri

A living display of ancient Japan at Kasuga Shrine, Nara

By Hiroko Kanno
Photos by Daisuke Ito and Tad Hayashi

A survey conducted in 1995 discovered that about 300,000 "matsuri" (festivals), small, large and all sizes in between, are held every year in Japan. The huge number surprises even most Japanese. It goes to show how deeply rooted matsuri are in this country.

The word matsuri is derived from the verb "matsuru," meaning to worship or esteem. They originated as a religious event dedicated to worshipping "kami," or gods dwelling in the mountains, rivers, seas or any other places where supernatural powers were believed to exist.

The prototype of the Japanese traditional matsuri can be observed at the On Matsuri at Kasuga Wakamiya, Nara, every December. Well-suited to an ancient city like Nara, this particular festival last year celebrated its 869th anniversary.

The On Matsuri dates back to 1136, when a terrible famine struck as a result of raging floods that devastated the farmland. Fujiwara no Tadamichi, chief adviser to the Emperor, decided to implore the help of the Shinto god of Wakamiya, enshrined in the precincts of Kasuga Shrine, by dedicating various performing arts. The votive offerings stopped the rain and brought fine days to revive the destroyed crops. The incident led to such happiness and peace in the country that the people decided to hold the matsuri every year.

The highlights of the four days of ceremonial events of the On-Matsuri is the Owatari-shiki (procession) and the Otabisho-sai (ceremony at the temporary shrine) held on the 17th of December. The former is a historic pageant of Shinto priests, their female attendants, children, performers of Dengaku and Sarugaku (sacred dances to music and pantomimes of Shinto myths to entertain the gods) and Noh theater, followed by armored warriors on horseback and the daimyo's procession. More than 1,000 paraders slowly make their way through the broadways of Nara toward the Otabisho, a temporary shrine set up for the festival. The colorful and sumptuous costumes they proudly wear are a great display of the historic cultures of the Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi and Edo periods.

Most of the parade participants are  local residents of Nara including Noh actors and members of the Daimyo's Procession Preservation Association. The costumes and hair styles are all old-fashioned and archaic, and yet they perfectly fit the faces of the participants, of all ages. The people must have certainly inherited the figures and features from their ancestors which can be most comfortably fitted to whatever they wear or put on for the procession. Many children, whose innocence and beauty are sacred, participate in the parade. They are called "chigo" (innocents) and are always included in such ritual processions; to please the gods they dress up in brightly colored clothes and make up with face powder and lip rouge.

When the procession of the o-watari-shiki reaches the o-tabisho, the temporary shrine of Wakamiya built simply out of pine logs, the ceremonial offerings begin. Shinto prayers are recited by the priests and guests on the roofed stage before a crowd of spectators watching in rapt silence. As a huge "wa-daiko" drum pounds on, the priests worshipfully relay the offerings of food to the altar, which the god of Wakamiya savors while enjoying the continuous stage performances long into the night. To keep the god from getting bored, the program has a lot of variety, including many ritual dances, music, Noh plays, "yabusame" (horseback archery), sumo and horse racing. Most of the stage performances have been played since antiquity at this sacred venue. Some of them obviously have their roots in India, China and Korea, and the On Matsuri is considered a sort of living museum of Japanese performing arts. The same can be said for the costumes, numbering more than 100 different kinds, used for the event.

Surrounded by mountains in four directions, Nara is cold in December. Spectators need to bundle up against the weather to watch the whole Otabisho-sai program, which lasts well into the night. It's worth it, though. In the darkness of winter, the figures of the dancers on the stage, flashing in the blazing bonfires, present an ethereal beauty and bring the spectators back to the legendary age of the gods.