Lion king
Yasaka Shrine Festival, Osaka
Whether it’s your first summer in the Land of the Rising Sun or
your fourth decade, the intrigue and appeal of the summer
matsuri never seems to wane. Beautiful Japanese women sporting
the most fashionable of summer yukata, the smell of watagashi
(cotton candy) wafting through the narrow, crowded
streets, the hypnotic rhythm of the taiko drum, an endless
caravan of yatai selling all things yaki — yep, it’s definitely that
time of year again. Time to dust off the yukata or jimbei, gather a
few close companions, and head out for a night of cultural revelry.
There’s no short-age of options, but finding one special enough to
warrant an out-of-the-way journey can be taxing. Luckily, due to
the plethora of online and published information, finding a spot to
satisfy your festival hunger is a cinch. Despite the vast options, I
still manage to stumble upon shrines that pop up out of nowhere.
Yasaka Shrine is definitely one of those places.
Wait a minute, did you just say Yasaka Shrine, the crown jewel
of Maruyama park at the end of Shijo dori? Well, yes and no. I did
say Yasaka but what I failed to mention was that this is Yasaka
shrine in Namba! Indeed, Yasaka shrines are dotted throughout
the Kansai, but seem to have no affiliation to each other. In fact,
the most famous Yasaka Shrine in Japan used to be called Gionsha,
during a time when Shinto and Buddhism were combined.
When the Meiji Restoration began, shrines and temples were
officially separated, and many shrines changed their names to
have a deeper Shinto meaning. Yasaka means “eight slopes”. Eight
is a lucky number for Japanese people, as evidenced by the eight
Shinto gods, the 88-temple walk of Shikoku, and the mountain
peak Yatsu-ga-dake. Appropriately enough, this year’s Yasaka
festival falls on the unluckiest of days, Friday the 13th of July.
The festival officially begins on the evening of the 12th with
the Funatogyo ceremony along the Dotonbori river in the heart
of Minami. The evenings of both the 13th and 14th see the festivities
shift to the nearby shrine, where a number of unique customs
are practiced inside the Shishiden.
 The Shishiden is a 12m high building in the shape of a lion’s head,
the largest of its kind in Japan. The mouth of the lion is a performance
stage, and during the festival plays host to a number of
different bon dances. How can anyone pass up a chance to see
kimono clad ladies dancing traditionally in a giant lion head? That,
combined with the tossing of a traditional Japanese sweet, make
for an unforgettable experience. The dances start in the early
evening, and build up to a climactic frenzy, when all of the performers
join the stage and throw out pieces of semi-hard mochi to
the eager audience. Hundreds and hundreds of rice cakes, tossed
out of a giant lion head. Be warned: cover your head and don’t
wear any clothing susceptible to mochi stains. While partaking in
the celebrations, be sure to gaze up at the lion head, because it’s
the only time of the year where the eyes are lit up. Eerie. Taiko
drummers in an adjacent space add to the aura, and the chance
to see small children decked out in kimonos should not go unmissed.
In addition to the children, if the same street vendor is here this
year, then you’ll have the chance to see kimono-clad teens brandishing
glow-in-the-dark devil horns. Photo ops arise, so break out
the camera and join in on an unforgettable cultural experience.
Text and photos: Wes Lang
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