With the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto's three major festivals, scheduled for May 15th, the Mikage Matsuri, a ceremony to welcome the newly born divine spirit into the main shrine, was held on May 12, 2026, at Shimogamo Shrine, a World Heritage site in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, and other locations. In the Tadasu no Mori forest within the shrine grounds, the Azuma Asobi dance, praising the deity, was performed under the gentle afternoon sunlight filtering through the trees.
Around noon, at Mikage Shrine, located at the foot of Mount Mikage in Kamitakano, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, the Miare Shinto ritual took place, in which the powerful, newly born divine spirit, the Aramitama, was transferred to a Shinreihitsu (sacred chest). After the Shinto ritual, the priests carried the sacred spirit box down the mountain, stopping at the Kamohani Shrine (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto), a subsidiary shrine of Shimogamo Shrine. The spirit was then placed on the saddle of a sacred horse, and the procession, accompanied by approximately 300 priests, returned to Shimogamo Shrine.
Around 4 PM, the sounds of gagaku (ancient Japanese court music) echoed through the Kirishiba festival grounds in the Tadasu no Mori forest as the procession arrived. Six dancers, adorned with Asarum caulescens flowers on their heads, performed the "Azuma Asobi" dance with graceful movements in front of the sacred horse carrying the spirit. Many worshippers were captivated by the mystical sight.
The spirit, having been carried, will become one with the deity of Shimogamo Shrine as the Aoi Matsuri (Aoi Festival) takes place. According to Shimogamo Shrine, the Mikage Matsuri is believed to have originated before the Common Era.
