Atsuta Matsuri

Overview

The Atsuta Festival (Atsuta Matsuri), also known as the Shobu-sai, is the annual festival of Atsuta Jingu shrine in Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, held every year on June 5. For Atsuta Jingu, which enshrines as its sacred object the Kusanagi sword—one of the Three Imperial Regalia—it is the most important and solemn rite of the year, and an imperial envoy (chokushi) attends on behalf of the Emperor. After the main rite, numerous dedicatory events including the lighting of makiwara lantern offerings and a fireworks display are held, and the festival is widely cherished by the citizens as the herald of summer in Nagoya, drawing some 250,000 worshippers each year. Locally it is said that people wear yukata for the first time of the season from the day of this festival, strolling among the stalls with a fan in hand—a day brimming with the feeling of the season. The way the solemn rite welcoming the imperial envoy and the celebration that the citizens enjoy to the full are inseparably fused into one is the festival's defining characteristic.

History and Origins

Atsuta Jingu is an ancient shrine of the highest rank, second only to Ise Jingu, enshrining as its sacred object the Kusanagi sword associated with the legendary hero Yamato Takeru. Also called the Ame-no-Murakumo sword, it has been revered as a sacred treasure symbolizing the "martial" power of the imperial house. The Atsuta Festival, the annual rite of the shrine that venerates this sacred object, is the shrine's greatest rite, performed at all of its 43 auxiliary and subordinate shrines both within and beyond the precincts, beginning with the main and special shrines. In the rite, first the chief priest recites the ritual prayer; then the imperial envoy makes an offering of sacred goods (gohei-motsu) and reads the imperial message (gosaimon), praying for the prosperity of the imperial house and the peace of the nation. The alternate name "Shobu-sai" derives from the idea of esteeming the martial way, vividly reflecting the character of a shrine that enshrines a sacred sword. Because it is a shrine that venerates a sacred blade, the dedication of martial arts has from ancient times been deeply bound up with this festival. The "still" aspect of the solemn rite attended by the imperial envoy and the "dynamic" aspect of the lively dedicatory events in which the citizens take part have, over long years, melted together into a single festival and been carefully handed down to the present day.

Highlights

The greatest seasonal spectacle of the Atsuta Festival is the kento makiwara—lantern offerings displayed and lit at each shrine gate from dusk. A makiwara is a portable-shrine-like offering on which an enormous number of paper lanterns are hung in the shape of a hemispherical roof, and five of them in all are raised at the east, west, and south gates of the precincts. The number of lanterns is said to derive from 377—the days and months of a year combined (365 days plus 12 months)—and carries a prayer for freedom from illness and misfortune. The countless lights glowing faintly in the darkness create a magical atmosphere, and the sight of fireworks rising beyond the makiwara is widely known as the scene that symbolizes this festival. At night a fireworks display is held in the adjacent Jingu Park, large blossoms of fire coloring the sky one after another to announce the arrival of summer in Nagoya. In keeping with the name Shobu-sai, contests of archery, judo, kendo, and sumo unfold one after another within the precincts, along with a rich array of dedicatory events such as theatrical performances, haiku, calligraphy, tea offerings, and flower offerings throughout the day. From the surrounding neighborhoods, children's lion dances and makiwara portable shrines are dedicated, while the powerful, belly-shaking sound of the Owari Shinjiro drums and the solemn dedicatory performances of Atsuta kagura greatly enliven the festival. The way ritual solemnity and the splendor of civic celebration unfold simultaneously throughout the precincts is its inexhaustible charm.

Visiting and Access

The Atsuta Festival takes place every year on June 5, centered on Atsuta Jingu (1-chome Jingu, Atsuta Ward, Nagoya). The main rite is performed at the main shrine from 10 a.m., rites such as the Minamishingu-sha festival follow in the afternoon, the makiwara lanterns are lit at each gate from dusk, and the fireworks rise over Jingu Park at night—various events unfolding over the course of the day. For access, the shrine is conveniently about a three-minute walk from Jingumae Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, and is also within walking distance of Atsuta Station on the JR Tokaido Line and Jingu-nishi and Tenmacho stations on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Meijo Line, making it a notably easy festival to reach by public transport. As the festival draws very large crowds and traffic restrictions are in place nearby, using public transportation is recommended. Numerous stalls line the grounds and the approach, where visitors can fully savor the mood of an early-summer evening festival, strolling in yukata.

Nearby Attractions

The vast grounds of Atsuta Jingu hold many points of interest, including the great camphor sacred tree said to be over a thousand years old and the "Nobunaga Wall," reputedly dedicated by Oda Nobunaga in thanks for victory at the Battle of Okehazama, and one can stroll slowly through the deep grove. At the treasure hall and the sword-specialty exhibition hall "Kusanagi-kan, Treasury of Swords," fitting for a shrine that enshrines a sacred sword, visitors can view numerous precious cultural properties, including more than 450 swords. The many famous blades, such as the short sword by Rai Kunimitsu, are well worth seeing even for those who are not sword enthusiasts. The town before the shrine gate gathers long-established restaurants, including the reputed birthplace of Nagoya's famous hitsumabushi grilled-eel dish, as well as places serving Nagoya cuisine such as miso katsu and kishimen, so that worship can be paired with food. Atsuta is close to central Nagoya by Meitetsu or subway, making it convenient to combine with sights such as Nagoya Castle, the Osu shopping district, and the Nagoya Port area.

Related Information

The Atsuta Festival is the most important annual rite among the roughly sixty regular ceremonies and special rituals that Atsuta Jingu performs throughout the year. While not an imperial festival in which the envoy presides over the rite itself, it is a rite of very high standing in which the imperial envoy attends, showing the shrine's deep ties to the imperial house. Owing to the shrine's character as one that enshrines a sacred sword, the martial arts are esteemed, as expressed in the very name "Shobu-sai." At the same time, by uniting with civic dedicatory events such as makiwara lanterns, fireworks, and the children's lion dances and makiwara portable shrines from each neighborhood, the festival has developed as one that combines sanctity with approachability. For the people of Nagoya it marks a major turning of the season—"summer begins with this festival"—and it is deeply rooted across the generations as a signature early-summer tradition of the Tokai region.

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