Since the end of the Heian period, the Yamashina family has inherited the "Yamashina School of Emondo," a family profession in Kyoto that is responsible for the tailoring and wearing of court attire for the nobility. Tokichika Yamashina, the young head of the family, who is in his 30th generation since the founder, will unravel the occasional events that have taken place at the Imperial Court and in the society of the nobility, as well as the culture that has been handed down through the ages, along with costumes and ancient documents remaining in the Yamashina family.
In the summer, there was a custom in the Imperial Court for the Emperor to bestow fans on his subjects and ladies-in-waiting.
In the summer, it is customary to send gifts as summer greetings, to express gratitude for daily support and to check on the person's well-being. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate sent rock sugar to the Imperial Court on Doyo no Hi (Day of the Dog Days).
Gifts were given at the Imperial Court for each season, and among the gifts bestowed by the Emperor were costumes. The costumes received were re-tailored and re-dyed and used again, and scraps and damaged items were used as fabric for bags, cloths for Buddhist altars, and fabrics for mounting decorations, so they were carefully reused until the very end.
In addition, various other items were given to vassals and court ladies from time to time, including small items such as vessels, dolls, fans, and paper cases. Generally, these were not treasured and kept secret, and many were practical items for daily use. There was a particular culture of receiving fans in the summer.
This is a short poem written by Tokikuni, the 11th head of the family in the late Muromachi period, entitled "Summer Purification." It reads, "The water is the color of morning leaves, but the river waves are refreshing like the water of a purification ritual." I selected this from old fabrics four years ago and had Inoue Kogado mount it. Reminiscent of the Kamo River, where purification rituals are performed, I used fabrics woven with refreshing flowing water for the top and bottom of the hanging scroll. The preference for mountings associated with the Imperial Court is often to combine elegant fabrics with the original paper. June 4th of the lunar calendar is the Great Purification Day, and even within the Imperial Palace, a ritual is performed to pass through a straw circle, purifying the sins and impurities of the past six months. ©Yamashina
The official fan shop continues to make fans in the traditional way.
Fans used in the Imperial Court had detailed customs regarding the materials they were made of, the style of the fan paintings they were made of, the carving of the fan ribs, and the way the paper was folded. Fans were not just used to cool oneself down, but were also used as objects of dignity and in different ways depending on the attire and ceremony.
Many types of courtly fans that conform to these rules are no longer produced today, but they are still in use at temples, shrines, Noh theaters, and other places, so official fan makers continue to make them in the tradition.
This fan from the late Edo period, known as the Fumizuki fan, is said to have been bestowed upon ladies-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in July. It was made of thin paper, and the front side was painted with golden clouds and a picture of Genji in rich colors, while the back side was painted with autumn grasses in gold and silver paint on a white background. A distinctive feature of summer fans is that the back side is pasted on one side, and by removing the backing paper and leaving it simple, the bones are visible, giving it a cool appearance. ©Yamashina
The Umetsuji family, a shrine family in Kamigamo, has a folding screen with a mixture of fan faces that was bestowed upon them.
As an example of the atmosphere of fans originating from the Imperial Court, the Umetsuji family, a shrine family in Kamigamo, has a folding screen handed down that incorporates fan surfaces with Genji painted on them from Fugetsu fans that were bestowed upon them. This shows the ingenuity with which the beautiful fan paintings were cherished and utilized even after their use as fans had ceased.
The Kamo family had a deep connection with the Imperial Palace, producing many women who became court ladies and ladies-in-waiting to nobles. The Umetsuji family residence is a valuable example of a surviving shrine family residence, and there are opportunities to view it during cultural property open days.
These scattered flowers were used in a Buddhist ceremony called Senpoko, which took place at the Imperial Palace in 1858 (the fifth year of the Ansei era). In the past, the Imperial Palace was a syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, and various Buddhist ceremonies were held in addition to Shinto rituals. The Buddhist altar room known as the Okuroto enshrined the memorial tablets of past emperors. Many past emperors and nobles became monks or built temples, becoming deeply devoted to Buddhism, and the relationship between the Imperial Palace and Buddhism is particularly strong at Monzeki temples.
Our ancestors in the Muromachi period also looked forward to the Gion Festival.
Now, as the scorching hot days of July continue in Kyoto, the talk of the Gion Festival makes you feel that summer is in full swing. The Gion Festival has been a popular festival in Shimogyo since ancient times, and my ancestors from the Muromachi period also went to see it, as recorded below.
“Gonkokukyoki” Article dated June 14, 1501
"(Omitted) After Ukyo-no-taifu Hosokawa entered the temple, the mountain entourage and the ninth-year warriors were all in attendance. The ceremony was magnificent. Afterward, the mountain entourage continued, and at 8:00 a.m., the Emperor arrived. It was a truly auspicious occasion. The entourage included two drinks, some hot drinks, some food, and a bowl of rice. On the way home, a sudden shower occurred, and everyone was completely soaked. (Omitted)"
At the time, the Gion Festival was held on June 6th of the lunar calendar, with the first festival taking place on the 7th, and the second festival known as the Gion Goryoe and Kankosai, a lively procession. At the time this article was written, after the Onin War had ended, the Kanrei (regent) Hosokawa Masamoto held real power in Kyoto. It seems that Masamoto entered the box seats, followed by the parade of nine magnificent floats.
Gozu Tenno was once enshrined at Gion Shrine, and as his name suggests, he has a bull on his head and is a powerful figure with an angry expression. He holds an axe in his right hand and a lasso in his left, and his body is covered in vermilion. He was deeply worshipped as a god who drives away epidemics. Many of his statues were lost after the anti-Buddhist movement following the Meiji Restoration, when they were perceived as having strong Buddhist elements, so the fact that a statue remains is extremely valuable. Even today, there is a place in Yamahokocho where a scroll bearing the divine title of Gozu Tenno is hung. © Gion Faith Research Association
He records that he enjoyed food and drinks while watching the performance from the gallery prepared by his ancestors, and was caught in a sudden shower on his way home, getting soaked. He had been consulting with carpenters and others about setting up the gallery for several days in advance, and had invited people from the Imperial Court and monks from Kurama Temple to watch, so it seems that a great deal of effort was put into the performance. It seems that there were frequent disputes and fights among the spectators during this period, and the atmosphere of the day is vividly conveyed in this work.
Higashiyama Leisure Screen(Part of the painting from the early Edo period) It depicts famous Higashiyama sites such as Kenninji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with the Gion Shrine at the center. Passing through the Minami-torii gate, the official entrance, is Nikken-chaya (now Nakamura-ro), and the painting also depicts in detail the gorgeous kosode (short-sleeved) adorning pilgrims of the time, as well as people praying in the main hall. It shows that there were Buddhist facilities such as the Bell Hall, Yakushi Hall, and pagoda that do not exist at the current Yasaka Shrine. © Gion Faith Research Association
In recent years, there has been a movement to research and return to forms of faith that existed before the Edo period.
In recent years, there has been a movement to reconsider the excessive influence of the separation of Shinto and Buddhism and the destruction of Buddhism that occurred after the Meiji period, and to study and return to forms of faith that existed before the Edo period. For example, syncretistic Shinto-Buddhist rituals such as the Kitano Goryoe ceremony at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and the Yasaka Reihaiko, which is descended from the Hokke Hakko, are now held at Yasaka Shrine.
This year, for the first time in 51 years, the procession of warriors in armor leading the mikoshi (portable shrine) was revived during the Gion Festival's portable shrine procession. The people of Yumiyacho, also known as Inugamijin, were believed to have the power to purify the path the mikoshi passed through, and have served in the festival for generations. The armor worn by the leader was restored by Myochin Ako, a ceremonial armorer. The image shows "Tsurumesozu" (a drawing of a string summoning) by Hasegawa Gyokuho (1822-1879) @Yamashina, a depiction of a warrior procession from the past.
In recent years, there has been a growing momentum to get to the heart of the Gion Festival, such as how Gion faith has been passed down from the days of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, and what kind of gods are enshrined there. In the past, attention was often focused only on the spectacular Yamahoko procession, but recently there has been an increase in attention being paid to the series of religious ceremonies that take place from the time the mikoshi is welcomed at the Otabisho shrine in the capital until its return, as well as the people in the parishioner organizations who support it.
In recent years, through my maternal side, which is a family of former priests at Gion Shrine, I have had the opportunity to study the nature of Gion faith, and every day I learn new things about the relationship between my ancestors and the festival, which has greatly changed the way I approach the Gion Festival.
Proclamation for the Gion Special Festival The Gion Extraordinary Festival, which had ceased since the late Muromachi period, was revived in 1865. Concerned about the unrest that occurred in the country due to the appearance of foreign ships at the end of the Edo period, Emperor Komei prayed for the expulsion of foreigners, and Tokinao, my predecessor as an imperial envoy, visited Gion Shrine. This is a copy of the proclamation that was read at that time, and it conveys the social climate of the time. The Extraordinary Festival was previously held the day after the Gion Festival ended on June 5th of the lunar calendar, but has now been succeeded by the Annual Grand Festival, which is held on June 6th of the solar calendar. ©Yamashina
Yamashina Tokichika / Young head of the Yamashina school of kimono. Born in Kyoto in 1995, he completed his master's course at the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies at Kyoto University. He is the 30th successor to the Yamashina family (former nobles) who have passed down the tradition of preparing and wearing "shozoku", the attire worn at the Imperial Court for generations. He performs kimono at the three imperial festivals "Kasuga Festival", "Kamo Festival", and "Iwashimizu Festival", as well as the "Reiwa Grand Ceremony". He also appears in various media, gives lectures to companies, government agencies, and cultural organizations, plans exhibitions, and conducts customs research for history programs. He is involved in a wide range of activities to spread the tradition of Imperial Palace culture, serving as the representative director of the Yamashina Yusoku Research Institute and a researcher at the Doshisha University Imperial Court Culture Research Center.
Photos by Azusa Todoroki (bowpluskyoto)
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The 30th young head of the Yamashina School of Imondo, Yamashina Genchika…
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