Established in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto's founding, Jidai Matsuri is one of Kyoto's three great festivals alongside Gion Matsuri and Aoi Matsuri. The procession of roughly 2,000 volunteers departs the Imperial Palace and arrives at Heian Jingū, presenting meticulously researched costumes from the Meiji era all the way back to the Heian period. Each historical epoch is represented in chronological reverse order, making it effectively a walking museum of Japanese dress and culture. The October 22 date coincides with the founding of Heian-kyō (ancient Kyoto) in 794.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- October 22
- Region
- Kansai
- Prefecture
- Kyoto
- City
- Kyoto
Highlights
- ◆2,000 participants in historically accurate period costumes
- ◆Procession spans 12 distinct historical eras in reverse chronology
- ◆Route from Kyoto Imperial Palace to Heian Jingū Shrine
- ◆One of Kyoto's three major festivals alongside Gion and Aoi Matsuri
- ◆Costume research supervised by Kyoto costume historians