{"id":1825,"date":"2011-07-19T23:27:24","date_gmt":"2011-07-19T14:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-07-19\/1825"},"modified":"2011-07-19T23:27:24","modified_gmt":"2011-07-19T14:27:24","slug":"gion-matsuris-shinkousai-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-07-19\/1825","title":{"rendered":"Gion Matsuri’s Shinkousai Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So, the other day I posted one quick photo<\/a> from one\nof the last major events of the month-long Gion Matsuri, Kyoto's biggest\nannual festival. I've picked a few<\/span> more photos to share in this post.<\/p>\n\n

The event has the name Shinkousai<\/i> (\u7947\u5712\u796d\u795e\u5e78\u796d),<\/span> and I'd never\nheard of it before, and knew nothing about it other than \"three\ntabernacle-like things are carried through the streets from the Yasaka\nShrine, via different routes, to the corner of Shijo and Teramachi\nstreets\", and I saw<\/span> map that indicated that the street would be closed for\n15 minutes at the corner where Shijo Street dead ends into Higashiyama\nStreet at the foot of the Yasaka Shrine (\u516b\u5742\u795e\u793e).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Looking now, Wikipedia tells me<\/a> that\nthis parade of three portable shrines from the Yasaka Shrine dates back to\n869 (1,142 years), and is the origin of the whole Gion Matsuri\nfestival.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I know that<\/span> corner well, and knew that it didn't have the\ncapacity to hold many people, so I headed<\/span> down more than an hour early and\nlooked around to stake my place at the north-west corner of the\nintersection, since I knew<\/span> that would be the only place that was in shade\nthe whole time. I found<\/span> a wonderful<\/span> niche where I could<\/span> put a stool<\/span> to stand\non such that it was completely out of the flow of traffic, yet afforded me\nas good a view<\/span> as I could<\/span> hope for.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>5000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAn Hour Early, From My Perch<\/span>\nlooking away from the main intersection, west down Shijo Street\n<\/div>\n\n

Even an hour early, the “best” viewing spot, the steps of the Yasaka\nShrine, was packed. But it's “best” only so long as you don't mind\nstaring out directly into the setting sun for two hours....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>6400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAnnouncement<\/span>\n40 minutes before the start, about keeping safe and such\n<\/div>\n\n

If it were an overcast day and I wasn't<\/span> taking pictures, I'd go early<\/span> to\nsit on those steps. But in one<\/span> sense photography is better from across the\nstreet, so that the shrine can be in the background of the photos, at least\nif you're skillful (or lucky).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEye Contact<\/span>\nmini processional heads to the shine in preparation of the main event\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n20 Minutes Before The Start<\/span>\ntraffic still flowing, but sidewalks are definitely getting packed\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nKids in Kimono<\/span>\nalways cute (such as these<\/a>)\n<\/div>\n\n

Eventually traffic was shut down and the streets cleared. Unlike in\nmy earlier posts<\/a>, the streets were not opened for the general public.<\/p>\n\n

A small procession of various “shriney things” (I don't<\/span> know anything about the religious significance of the event, sorry)\ncame out and went down the street, including some mounted warriors...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMounted Warrior<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

One guy among the long procession was really hamming it up, perhaps for his friends in the crowd. I decided<\/span> to give this a\nblack<\/span> & white look, somewhat in a soft<\/span> version of the look St\u00e9phane Barbery gave\nhis Jidai Matsuri<\/i> pictures<\/a>.\nAs I mentioned recently<\/a>, I'm not that<\/span> big on B&W, but it's fun to dabble in every so often.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBehold<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Then a boy dressed to the nines, with a crown,<\/span> came out on horseback...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>6400 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChild King<\/span>\nor so it seemed\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 2800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThere They Go<\/span>\nheading west down Shijo Street\n<\/div>\n\n

I sort of wondered whether that was it, but it turned out to be a minor<\/span>\nopening act. The street<\/span> soon flooded with hundreds of men lofting in a\nhighly<\/span> kinetic fashion three large portable shrines, each borne on two very\nlong, solid wooden supports....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPortable Shrine<\/span>\none of three\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/11, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSome Folks Brought Cameras<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPrivate Viewing<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 900 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIntermission<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 220 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDaddy's Little Helper<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Once all three were out and on display in the now crowded intersection, there were various speeches into the setting sun...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHead Honcho<\/span>\nI suppose\n<\/div>\n\n

I was shocked when looking at these photos at home that I actually<\/span>\nrecognized the guy to the left of the speaker, the smiling man in black, as\nthe mayor\nof Kyoto<\/a>. I have no<\/span> idea where I've ever seen him before, but I recognized<\/span>\nhim immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 4000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBig Crowd<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOpposite Corner<\/span>\nfrom me\n<\/div>\n\n

After the speeches, the head honcho guy came walking by, and I was<\/span> actually able to get him in focus...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I have enough trouble with static subjects with this lens, so getting good focus on a moving<\/span> subject is noteworthy for me.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDignitaries<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Then it was time to get moving again, and the three portable shrines\nprepared to head off on their respective routes in the most energetic\nfashion, being heave'd and ho'ed boisterously as they're rotated a few<\/span>\ntimes before actually making way toward their destination. One moved<\/span> away\nout of my sight, but two moved west down Shijo Street.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 5000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nShrine in the Background<\/span>\n( the characters in stone at the far right are the name of the shrine )\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/16, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nA Few<\/span> More Cameras<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPlaying With The Focus<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 280 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFinally Heading Off<\/span>\nas people watch from a parking structure in the background\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBoth Now Well Away<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nClosing Processional<\/span>\nfollowed by running Kyoto City paramedics, just in case, I suppose<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I let the crowd thin considerably before moving from my safe perch. BY the time<\/span> I did<\/span> and crossed the street,\ntraffic was moving again, but to little effect...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIt's Going To Be a While<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, the other day I posted one quick photo from one of the last major events of the month-long Gion Matsuri, Kyoto's biggest annual festival. I've picked a few more photos to share in this post.<\/p>

The event has the name Shinkousai (\u7947\u5712\u796d\u795e\u5e78\u796d), and I'd never heard of it before, and knew nothing about it other than \"three tabernacle-like things are carried through the streets from the Yasaka Shrine, via different routes, to the corner of Shijo and Teramachi streets\", and I saw map that indicated that the street would be closed for 15 minutes at the corner where Shijo [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,26,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}