The "Kishu Ume Dochu" (Kishu Plum Procession), an event to dedicate plums, a specialty of Wakayama Prefecture, was held on June 6, 2026, at the World Heritage sites of Shimogamo Shrine in Sakyo Ward and Kamigamo Shrine in Kita Ward, Kyoto City. Women dressed in Heian period attire carried baskets of harvested plums through the shrine grounds.
The "Kishu Ume no Kai" (Kishu Plum Association), comprised of producers and processors from Wakayama Prefecture, holds this event annually on June 6th, which is "Plum Day." It commemorates the historical event from the Muromachi period, when Emperor Go-Nara dedicated plums to the annual festival (the current Aoi Festival) of the Kamo Shrines (Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines).
At Shimogamo Shrine, which they visited in the morning, approximately 60 people, including members of the Kishu Ume no Kai and volunteer university students from the city, dressed in traditional attire, formed a procession. They carried about 10 kilograms of green Nanko plums and 50 boxes of pickled plums to the main shrine. In the afternoon, a similar offering was made at Kamigamo Shrine.
