On July 17, 2026, the Yamahoko float procession of the Gion Festival's *Saki-matsuri* (early festival)—one of Japan's three major festivals—took place in central Kyoto. Under the blazing sun, twenty-three magnificent floats, adorned with lavish decorations, made their stately way along the city's main avenues amidst a crowd charged with excitement.
Around 9:00 a.m., the chant "Enyaraya" rang out at the Shijo-Karasuma intersection in Shimogyo Ward as the lead float, Naginata-boko, set off eastward along Shijo-dori. From atop the float, eight-year-old *chigo* (sacred child) Kotaro Hase powerfully slashed through the *shimenawa* (sacred straw rope) strung across the street at Shijo-Fuyacho with a single stroke of a sword.
At Shijo-Sakaimachi, the *kuji-aratame* (lottery verification) ceremony took place to confirm the procession order; representatives of Kakkyo-yama—the first *yama* float following the Naginata-boko—presented the box containing their lottery slip to the presiding official using a distinctive, stylized movement. At intersections such as Shijo-Kawaramachi, the floats performed the *tsuji-mawashi* (corner turn), pivoting 90 degrees to change direction; the crowd roared with excitement at the dynamic spectacle of the pullers and bearers straining to maneuver the massive floats, sweat dripping from their brows.
According to the Kyoto Local Meteorological Office, the temperature in the city had reached 32.1°C by 10:00 a.m.
The Gion Festival is a ritual event held by Yasaka Shrine (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto) to pray for the warding off of epidemics. Another eleven floats will take part in the *Ato-matsuri* (late festival) procession on July 24.
