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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Festival Season Provides a Much-needed Summer Diversion

Japan is known as a country of matsuri (festival), with a wide variety of events being held throughout the year. Although the original significance of matsuri, which had long been rooted in a community spirit, has since been adapted to today’s society, there are still the questions of why are there so many kinds of festivals in Japan and why do local residents seem to participate so actively in the events? I came across some answers to these questions when I attended a special lecture on the comparative festival cultures of Korea and Japan, presented by Kyoto University Professor Ogura Kizo. Based on various books and materials that he mentioned, I would like to offer my observations about the culture of Japanese and Korean festivals.



What Is Matsuri?
This is my second sultry summer in Japan. In July, the humid weather in Tokyo can be so extreme that it goes beyond an inconvenience, disrupting the routine of your everyday life. Around this time, there are numerous references to noryo, in Japanese, or namnyang in Korean, which are meant to suggest ways to “stay cool” or “beat the heat.” Special TV programs and various events, under noryo themes, are offered to get your mind off the summer heat and humidity. As such, summer is a popular season for a number of annual festivals, which can add vitality and simple pleasure to your daily life, like the frothy bubbles of an ice-cold beer.
Matsuri, a community festival, has a lengthy history in Japan, and is still a fundamental characteristic of Japanese culture. It serves to enhance the cultural pride of the Japanese people and strengthen friendly relations between local residents, contributing to a closer sense of community.
In essence, matsuri is a traditional festival of Japan. The Japanese word, matsuri, is derived from matsuru, which originally signified the performing of a sacrificial rite to the gods or conducting a ritual as an of gratitude. There are those who say that it is rooted in the Korean word, majeuri, which means to greet. For long, the arts and culture that had been transmitted from the Korean Peninsula to Japan were enthusiastically received and embraced the Japanese people, including the holding of festivals. Perhaps in the past, matsuri events were closely associated with efforts to express appreciation or to appeal for good fortune and peace of mind through communal participation. Over the years, the religious aspects of matsuri events have been noticeably diminished, which has led to the development of festivals that are aligned with the interests of contemporary society. Therefore, Japan’s matsuri festivals cater to the general public, and in large part are organized and supported by local volunteers. There has been a recent increase in festivals that focus on the ritual ceremonies conducted at various shrines and temples, along with those which promote the special characteristics of local villages and the efforts to attract visitors to tourist attractions or shopping districts.

Grand Festivals of Japan
Kanda Matsuri
Held around May 15 at the Kanda Shrine in Kanda, a district in Tokyo known for its streets of bookstores, Kanda Matsuri is highlighted by a parade of various mikoshi, a kind of mobile Shinto shrine used for festivals. It is said to have been such a grand occasion during the Edo period that even the shogun would enjoy the festivities. Although the scale of the festival, which has always been highly popular among the ordinary people, has since been downsized, in terms of the number of mikoshi, Kanda Matsuri is still a spectacular sight with its procession of 200 or so mikoshi, both large and small, accompanied by an army of musicians, dancers, and revelers.

Gion Matsuri
It would be no exaggeration to say that Gion Matsuri, held in July in Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital of history and culture, is the largest festival event in Japan. The festival was inaugurated in 868, when a Gion Goryoue purification ritual was conducted in an effort to eradicate a country-wide epidemic. The residents of Kyoto still take great pride in this historic festival, which is held during the entire month of July. In particular, the event’s highlights include Oiyama and Yamabokojunko in the middle of the month. During the Yamabokojunko event, the traffic in downtown Kyoto comes to a halt due to the hordes of spectators who come out for this spectacle from all over the country.

Tenjin Matsuri
To the residents of Osaka, Tenjin Matsuri is a reflection of their enjoyment of eating and entertainment. Rather than a parade, this festival features a unique procession of boats, upon which local guardian deities have been installed. This event, which is organized and presented by the Osaka Tenmangu Shrine in late July, boasts a long history spanning more than 1,000 years. The two-day festival is said to attract more than 1 million visitors to Osaka.



Festival Culture
The traditional festivals of Korea and Japan, which originated from their agricultural roots, included secular activities as well as religious rituals. Korean festivals are typically characterized by village-centered beliefs in ancient religions or nature worship, such as gut (shaman rite) and gosa (sacrificial offering). The traditional festivals of Korea experienced a decline in importance during the Joseon period, when the rulers advocated Confucian principles, and Western-related religions arrived in Korea. On the other hand, festivals in Japan sought to promote the local community, while Shinto shrines often assumed a key role in such events.
Meanwhile, the industrialization and urbanization of Korea and Japan have served to alter the nature of traditional festivals, but their basic characteristics of promoting the local community remain largely intact. In the case of Korea, however, the recent focus emphasizes efforts to boost the regional economy, while Japanese festivals will seek to reinvigorate local communities that have been negatively impacted by industrialization and demographic trends.
Finally, I would like to mention the Korea-Japan Festival Exchange 2009, which is being held in Tokyo in September, to broaden the scope of cultural exchanges between the two countries. It is sincerely hoped that the two peoples will have an opportunity to appreciate Korea’s gangangsullae and Japan’s bongodori dances, and thereby develop a closer emotional attachment.

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