2026.10.23
さわやかな風が吹く10月22日、京都の真ん中で京都三大祭の一つ時代祭が開催されました。京都三大祭のひとつで明治時代に創建された平安神宮を奉祝したお祭りで、毎年平安遷都の10月22日、つまり京都の誕生日に行われます。
お祭りは明治維新から延暦時代へと時代を遡りながらそれぞれの時代の衣装を身に付けて京都の街中を練り歩く時代風俗行列です。衣装や祭具の一つ一つが、厳密な時代考証をもとに作製された”本物”。時代によっては現代の着物の形では無く。中国の民族衣装に見えるものもあり、歴史と共に、ファッションも変化を遂げていることを目で見て理解できるお祭りです。
12時に御所を出発して約2時間半かけて平安神宮までの約4.5kmの距離を約2000人の各時代の衣装を着た参加者が練り歩くのです。
過去にも何度か見ましたが、混雑している場所、見やすい場所があるので、今年はどこで鑑賞するか前もって計画を立てました。今回は先ずは御池高倉の南側に向かいました。12時半頃から少しずつ沿道の人達が増えていきます。外国人観光客の多い事！12時50分頃に海外の小さな兄妹が、先頭のパトカーの後に来る警察の騎馬隊の馬を見つけて大興奮。かわいらしい姿に思わず笑顔になります。台風が近づいているせいか、風があり、旗を持つ人たちが風にあおられ、風に流されないようにふんばりながら進んでいかれます。
最初の見どころ維新勤王隊列の鼓笛隊の音が遠くから聞こえてきます。衣装を着た笛と太鼓を鳴らしながら行進する、時代祭で先頭を行くおなじみの鼓笛隊。幕末の戊辰戦争で官軍に参加した「山国隊」の姿を再現しています。中学生から大学生くらいかな？と思う位若い男の子達。人数が多く、音楽に合わせてゆらゆら左右にゆれながら独特の歩みで進んでいきます。
出発してから約一時間後、鼓笛隊は目の前で小休止されました。その時の号令は「気を付け、前へならえ、休め」という体育の授業でおなじみ言葉。きれいに並んだ隊列はカッコよかったです。
休憩時間の間に草鞋の紐を結び直したり、水分補給をしたり、ほつけた衣装を安全ピンで止めてもらったり、沢山の裏方の人達のサポートで成り立つお祭りの裏舞台まで楽しく見せてもらいました。
最初の見どころを終え、次は東山三条へと地下鉄で移動しました。
いつも朝食でお世話になっている女将LABOさんはなんと店内から時代祭を鑑賞できるとのことで、お邪魔してみました。美味しいランチをいただきつつ、時代祭の行列を楽しみました。雅な女性たちもよく見る事ができました。「紀貫之の女」と書かれた旗をみつけ、店内はざわつきました。しかし「女」は、現代語の「女性」という意味ではなく、古い言い方で「娘」を意味するものだと調べてわかり、なんだかホッとしたのでした。
最後になると「神幸列」が登場。平安神宮の御祭神である桓武天皇と孝明天皇の御神霊が乗られている２基の御鳳輦。先頭からの全ての行列はこの神幸列にお供をするためのものなのです。
京都の1200年の歴史をタイムスリップするような気持ちでみました。自分なら「どの時代に生きてみたい？いやいや今の時代で良かった。」などぼんやり考えながら行列を見送ったのでした。
On October 22, as a refreshing breeze blew, the Jidai Matsuri, Festival of the Ages—one of Kyoto’s Three Great Festivals—was held right in the heart of Kyoto. This festival was established to celebrate Heian Jingu Shrine, founded during the Meiji era, and is held every year on October 22—the date the capital was moved to Heian-kyo, or Kyoto’s “birthday.”
This festival features a historical costume parade in which participants march through the streets of Kyoto while wearing period attire that takes them back in time from the Meiji Restoration to the Enryaku era. Every single piece of clothing and ceremonial prop is an “authentic” item crafted based on rigorous historical research. Depending on the era, some outfits do not resemble modern kimonos; in fact, some even resemble traditional Chinese attire. This festival allows visitors to see firsthand how fashion has evolved alongside history.
Starting at 12:00 p.m. from the Imperial Palace, approximately 2,000 participants dressed in Heian-era costumes parade for about two and a half hours along the roughly 4.5-kilometer route to Heian Jingu Shrine.
I’ve seen this several times in the past, but since some spots are crowded while others offer a better view, I made plans in advance this year about where to watch. This time, I headed first to the south side of Oike Takakura. Starting around 12:30 p.m., the crowd along the route gradually began to grow. There were so many foreign tourists at the front of the procession! Around 12:50 p.m., a young brother and sister from overseas got very excited when they spotted the police mounted unit’s horses following the lead police car. Their adorable reaction made me smile involuntarily. Perhaps because a typhoon was approaching, there was a breeze, and the flag-bearers were buffeted by the wind, bracing themselves to keep from being blown off course as they moved forward.
The first highlight: the sound of the Ishin Loyalist Procession’s fife and drum corps can be heard from afar. This familiar band, which leads the Jidai Festival, marches in traditional costumes while playing flutes and drums. It recreates the appearance of the “Yamaguni Corps,” which fought on the side of the imperial forces during the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period. The young men looked young enough that I wondered if they were junior high or college students. There were many of them, and they moved forward with a distinctive gait, swaying gently from side to side in time with the music.
About an hour after setting out, the fife and drum corps paused right in front of me. The commands they gave at that moment—“Attention, march in step, at ease”—were familiar phrases from physical education class at school. The neatly aligned formation looked really cool.
During the break, I got to enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes of the festival—which relies on the support of many people working behind the scenes—as they retied the laces on their straw sandals, rehydrated, and had their loose costumes secured with safety pins.
After taking in the first highlight, I took the subway to Higashiyama Sanjo.
I heard that Okami LABO—where always serves breakfast at hotori—offers a view of the Jidai Festival right from inside the cafe, so I decided to stop by. I enjoyed the delicious lunch at Okami LABO while watching the Jidai Matsuri procession. I also got a great view of the elegantly dressed women. When we spotted a banner reading “Ki no Tsurayuki’s Woman,” the restaurant buzzed with excitement. However, after looking it up, I learned that “woman” here didn’t mean “female” in modern terms but rather was an old-fashioned way of saying “daughter,” which made me breathe a small sigh of relief.
Toward the end, the “Shinkō-retsu” (Divine Procession) made its appearance. It consisted of two imperial palanquins carrying the divine spirits of Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Kōmei, the enshrined deities of Heian Jingu. All the processions leading up to this point were there to accompany this Divine Procession.
I watched it feeling as if I had slipped back in time through Kyoto’s 1,200-year history. As I watched the procession pass by, I found myself daydreaming: “What era would I like to live in? No, wait—I’m actually glad I’m living in the present.”
I hope you enjoy this Jidai matsuri someday in the near future in autumn Kyoto!
Mikko
