Dragons in the Gion Matsuri: Energy, Enlightenment, Elements & Emperors

Dragons appear all throughout Kyoto’s ancient Gion Matsuri.
Why are there so many dragons, appearing on so many different levels of the festival?
What purpose do they serve?
Are they symbols, or specific dragons known in culture and history?
Watch to find out. Find topic headings nd timestamps below.
This online presentation was hosted by Japan Society North West and JET Alumnae Association (both UK based).
Check back for a transcription link, coming soon.

Spread the joy and help people better understand the Gion Matsuri: Give a thumbs up, subscribe, and share a comment.
好きでしたらライクやサブスクライブやコメントしてください。
Help us grow awareness of Kyoto’s spectacular Gion Festival and support its sustainability.
京都の世界的なレベルで素晴らしい祇園祭についての意識と継続可能性を支援する目標で、そのため一緒にサポットしましょう。
Grow your understanding of Kyoto’s fascinating Gion Matsuri with my book or website. Details below.
詳細については英語になりますが、下に私がクリエートした祇園祭についての本やウエブサイトまで。

Topics:
00:00 Introduction/Context
01:05 Acknowledgements
02:05 Why Dragons in the Gion Matsuri?
03:05 Yasaka Shrine & its god of storms
04:38 Dragon: Yamata no Orochi
05:30 Goddess / soul of rice
05:50 Yasaka Shrine’s ox-headed deity
06:50 Gion Matsuri’s portable mikoshi shrines
07:50 Kyoto and feng shui
08:55 Blue Dragon of the East rules water
09:25 Yasaka Shrine, home of the Blue Dragon
10:35 Gion Festival: sacred water purifying Kyoto streets
11:05 Shinsen-en pond & Buddhist saint Kukai
12:20 Drought, dragons & rainmaking competitions
13:20 Dragons, lightning & clouds in art
13:55 Rainmaking with dragons’ jewels
14:30 What’s the wish-fulfilling jewel?
14:55 Good Woman Dragon King brought rain
16:00 Lotus Sutra and Dragon King’s daughter
16:20 Dragons & enlightenment in a female body
17:25 Shinsen-en pond & Gion Festival’s origins
18:25 Summer storms, epidemics, & appeasing angry spirits
19:45 Gion Festival & climate change
21:15 Enlightenment, kundalini & dragons
23:35 Koi Yama float & Dragon’s Gate Taoism
24:30 Fune Boko float’s empress & dragon deity
26:40 Dragons and Empress Jingu’s Success
28:30 Ofune Boko & dragons
29:15 Dragons in Gion Festival textiles
31:10 Gion Festival’s Chinese Imperial robes
32:20 Ainu traders & the Gion Festival
33:40 Upcycling ancient Chinese robes
36:05 Summary: Meaning of Gion Festival’s dragons
36:40 Connect & download a free book chapter

——————————————————
“The Gion Festival: Exploring Its Mysteries” is the first comprehensive English guidebook on this 1150+-year-old festival. It intimately covers this World Heritage Event with stunning photos of priceless artwork, plus explanations of legends and esoteric secrets. Discover insider details on the Gion Festival community, including spiritual, cultural, and artistic contexts that are not available anywhere else in English.
Learn more and get free excerpts from the book here: https://www.gionfestival.org/book

Buy the Book
In paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998588695
eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MQV8Y65

Follow GionFestival.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gionfestivalorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gionfestivalorg

About GionFestival.org:
GionFestival.org is the world’s best free resource on Kyoto’s famous 1150+-year-old Gion Festival.