Kyoto in July is filled with the Gion Festival. Contikitin Contikitin. Gion Hayashi sounds throughout the city, many festivals are held, and the whole city gradually becomes more excited. The ``cruise'' of yamahoko floats around the city, which was suspended for three years due to the effects of the new coronavirus, will resume in 7. Among them, the one that attracted the attention of many people was, above all, ``Takayama,'' which was revived for the first time in 3 years. There was the passion and solidarity of many people, and the strong support of the entire city of Kyoto. I traced the path that led to the revival of ``Takayama.''

"welcome home".
Warm cheers as they join the tour for the first time in 196 years

``Takayama'' appeared leisurely from Shinmachi Dori, a narrow 6-meter-wide street. The large number of spectators who had been waiting erupted in applause. Shouts of "welcome home" were heard from all over the place. It literally means "welcome back." Takayama is surrounded by warm cheers that reflect the overwhelming feelings of the people of Kyoto. At 2022:7 a.m. on July 24, 9, ``Takayama'', which has made a comeback for the first time in 30 years, appeared on Oike Street. It is 196 meters high and weighs over 17 tons. The gongs of the musicians reverberate even higher, and white clouds that look like they have been scattered by a brush float across the bright blue summer sky. "It was like a giant hawk watching over the revived Mt. Takayama from the sky." Many people later said that the white cloud was also a sign of good luck.

Note: During the Gion Festival, which lasts for almost a month, the ``parade'' attracts the attention of many tourists. The festival is held in two parts: the ``Sakino Matsuri'' on July 17th and the ``Ato no Matsuri'' on the 24th, and ``Takayama'' appears on the 2th festival parade.

The key to resurrection is the divine object that miraculously escaped disaster.

The Gion Festival originated before the Onin War, and ``Takayama'' is said to have existed around the time of its origin. Although it was a ``Hikiyama'' (hikiyama) with such a long history that its name appeared in literature in the early 16th century, it was severely damaged in a storm during a parade in 1826. From the following year, it became a ``rest mountain'' that did not participate in the cruise. However, the existence of ``Takayama'' was passed down in the memories of the people of Kyoto, and although there were several talks of reviving it in the latter half of the Showa era, it never materialized due to financial and operational difficulties.

Note: There are two types of so-called "dashi" floats that appear in the streets during the Gion Festival parade: "yama" and "hoko." The huge ``mountain'' pulled by the floats is called ``Hikiyama.''

It wasn't until the turn of this century that, after overcoming various obstacles, it finally began to show signs of revival. In addition to the passionate passion of the people who wished for its resurrection, it can be said that the resurrection was made possible by the fact that during the storm encounter and the Hamaguri Gomon Incident in 1826, the sacred object was miraculously spared through the efforts of the people. .

The object of worship at Takayama is a doll. Based on the theme of falconry, three slightly humorous puppets, ``Takatsukai'', ``Inutsukai'', and ``Taruoi'', ride on a mountain, and a dog and a hawk join them. .

Even when these deities are not participating in the procession, they are displayed at townhouses in Sanjo Muromachi Nishiiriru, the home of Takayama, during the Yoiyama (Yoiyama) (Note) period, and are a great sight for passersby. It was attracting attention.

Note: The night before the procession of the first festival and second festival is called ``Yoiyama'', the so-called eve festival. Komagata lanterns are lit and people take to the streets in yukata, turning it into a major event. The night before is called ``Yoiyama''.

The second hometown of “Takayama” is Kyotanba

Kyotamba-cho, Funai-gun, Kyoto Prefecture is a town with a rich natural environment. It is no exaggeration to say that this mountain village, about an hour's drive from central Kyoto, is Takayama's second hometown. Why is a mountain town with a rich natural environment your second hometown? In fact, in Kyotanba, there is a vast workshop of Yasuimoku, one of Japan's leading Sukiya construction companies, and ``Takayama'' was assembled in a corner of that workshop.

Although the base and wheels of the ``mountain'' were donated from other Yamaboko towns that were no longer in use, the roof and ceiling had to be made new, and these parts were assembled by experts at Sukiya Architecture. The group ``Yasui Moku'' was in charge. What's more, securing the space to build a gigantic Hikiyama (17 meters high and over 10 tons in total weight) was made possible only by a company of a suitable scale like Yasui Moku. Work began six years ago. The steady assembly work that dreamed of the day it would go on tour began here in Kyotanba.

A collection of Kyoto's traditional crafts. Yamahoko is a moving museum

The items that beautifully decorate the yamahoko are called kesohin. The ``hanging item'' that attracts the most attention during the parade is a long, thin fabric called ``mizuhiki'' that is layered in three layers. In particular, the ``Ichiban Mizuhiki'' at the top of each float is made of the finest fabric. ``Takayama'' has faithfully recreated its former appearance based on the remaining materials. All the mizuhiki, including the wonderful first mizuhiki with a dancing dragon on a yellow background, were created by Tatsumura Art Textiles. It's a top obi brand. In addition, carpets sewn onto non-wool carpets (Note) are purchased from Iran. This is also extremely expensive. It is said that the Gion Festival was a prayer for the exodus of epidemics, and at the same time, it was a place for the townspeople of Kyoto, who were usually frugal, to show off their wealth. This is the reason why every Yamahoko appears wearing extremely valuable and expensive items.

Note: This carpet is called ``dokake''. The carpet hanging in front of the back of the mountain is a ``sendoff''. Each Yamahoko competes for the 3 points of ``Mizuhiki'', ``Dogake'', and ``Okuri'' to see how powerful they are. It's fun to just compare the ``suspended items,'' such as those made by Living National Treasures and those ordered from Persia during the Edo period.

It's not just textiles. Lacquer, braid, dyed and woven fabrics... The essence of traditional crafts handed down in Kyoto is used throughout Takayama. It was these traditional crafts of Kyoto that supported the movement toward revival.

Although the cruise has been revived for the first time in 196 years, Takayama has not yet reached its original appearance. There are still many areas that need to be worked on, such as cleaning the roof with black lacquer and making decorative metal fittings. However, the return to touring can be considered an extremely significant step. Around 7am on July 24th. ``Takayama'' will appear on Oike Street again this year. This year, we would like to once again send a big cheer to Takayama, who has begun a new chapter in his history.