Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival Owatari-shiki

Owatari-shiki of Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival is presented here. Owatari-shiki (procession), which is the highlight of Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival, is held every year on December 17th. At Owatari-shiki, the procession departs from in front of the Nara Prefectural Office, passes through Kintetsu Nara Station, Aburasaka, and JR Nara Station, and then heads east along Sanjo-dori to the Otabisho of Wakamiya Shrine.

【Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival Owatari-shiki 2023 schedule】

The procession of Owatari-shiki will depart from in front of the Nara Prefectural Office on Sunday, December 17th, 2023 at 12:00. (In case of rain, the procession may be shortened or canceled).
春日若宮おん祭2024日程

【Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival Owatari-shiki route】

Depart from in front of Nara Prefectural Office →Kintetsu Nara Station → Aburasaka → JR Nara Station →Sanjo-dori→ Kofukuji Mandaimon Ruins → Kasuga Taisha Shrine Ichinotorii → Arrive at the Otabisho of Wakamiya Shrine.

【Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival Owatari-shiki brief overview】

At Owatari-shiki (お渡り式) of Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival (春日若宮おん祭), the procession departs from in front of the Nara Prefectural Office, passes through Kintetsu Nara Station, Aburasaka, and JR Nara Station, and then heads east along Sanjo-dori to the Otabisho of Wakamiya Shrine. Along the way, Nandaimon komyo-no-gi is held at the former site of the Kofukuji Nandaimon Gate, and Matsu-no-shita-shiki is held in front of the Yogo-no-matsu (pine tree) near the Ichi-no-torii Gate. In addition, the procession is said have started from Kofuku-ji Temple, which once held the power of Kasuga Taisha Shrine.
At Owatari-shiki, the procession consists of Hi-no-tsukai (1st in the procession), Miko (2nd), Seinoo and Sumo (3rd), Sarugaku (4th), Dengaku (5th), Bacho-no-Ichigo (6th), Keiba (7th), Yabusame (8th), Isaseuma (9th), Nodachi (10th), Yamato-zamurai (11th), Daimyo-gyoretsu (12th).

★Hi-no-tsukai (1st) originated when the Kanpaku, Fujiwara no Tadamichi, fell ill on his way to Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival and had his attendant gakujin (musician) serve as his messengers for the day. Hi-no-tsukai is considered to represent the rank of the Kanpaku.
★Miko (2nd) has Tatsuichi-no-Miko, Yashima-no-Miko, Go-no-Miko, and Nara-no-Miko. Miko rides a horse and is covered with the Furyugasa.
★Seinoo (3rd) performs a unique Seinoo-no-Mai (dance) associated with the legend of Empress Jingu. The six Seinoo ride a horse.
★Sarugaku (4th) is served by the Konparu-za. In the past, the Yamato Sarugaku Yonza, which added the Kanze-za, the Kongo-za, and the Hosho-za to the Konparu-za, was served.
★Dengaku (5th) is the performing arts group that had the closest relationship with Kofuku-ji Temple. Dengaku used to participate in various events before the day of the festival.
★Bacho-no-Ichigo (6th) is a beautiful boy wearing a hidekasa with a mountain bird’s tail at the top and a peony tsukuribana on his back, riding a horse.
★Keiba (7th) used to be held from Madashi-no-hashi (bridge) to Madome-no-hashi (bridge), but now it is now held from Madashi-no-hashi to Shobu-no-sakaki in front of Otabisho. The winners and losers of Keiba determine the order in which the ranryo-oh (dance) and the nasori (dance) are dedicated.
★Yabusame (8th) is performed by boys, Age-no-chigo and Ite-no-chigo. In Yabusame, they run from Babamoto and shoot arrows at the first target, second target, and third target in that order.
★Isaseuma (9th) is a remnant of the horse drawn by the Daimyo of Yamato (Nara), who offered the horse in front of the shrine.
★Nodachi (10th) is a large nodachi with a length of about 5.5 meters, followed by a medium chudachi, a small kodachi, naginata, and kazuyari.
★Yamato-zamurai (11th) continue the tradition of dedicating yabusame (archery on horseback). Yamato-zamurai once replaced the members of the Kofuku-ji Temple, who became the organizers of the entire Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival.
★Daimyo-gyoretsu (12th) has been part of the procession since the Edo period (1603-1868), and was served by the Koriyama-han, Takatori-han and others within Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture) . Daimyo-gyoretsu is now served by the Daimyo Gyoretsu Hozonkai, which was founded in 1979.

【Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival History】

Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival originated from the reisai (annual festival) held on September 17eh, 1136, when Wakamiya Shrine was built in 1135. Wakamiya Shrine was built, and due to the spiritual experience, heavy rains and floods subsided and sunny weather continued, so the reisai (annual festival) was held to pray for a good harvest and the peace for all people. Incidentally, Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival was held without interruption. The sarugaku, gagaku, bugaku, and other dedicated performing arts offered at Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival were designated as important national intangible folk cultural properties in 1979.

【remarks】
Always check with the organizer for event information. Information on this site is for reference only. Contents of the event may have changed.