Miyajima Kangensai 2024

The Kan’gensai, held annually on the 17th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a traditional festival and one of the Three Great Boat Festivals and the Three Great River Festivals in Japan.

The Kan’gensai originated as a maritime ritual initiated by Taira no Kiyomori to appease the deities of Itsukushima. It was inspired by the aristocrats of the Heian period, who engaged in a playful activity known as “Kangen no Asobi,” floating boats on rivers. Kiyomori transformed this pastime into a religious ceremony.

During the Kan’gensai, a portable shrine is enshrined on a boat, and musicians play the kangen (wind and string instruments) to soothe the divine spirits. The ritual involves ceremonies at different shrines: Jigozen Shrine on the opposite bank, as well as Nagahama Shrine and Omononushi Shrine on Miyajima. The boats pass through the giant torii gate standing in the sea before returning to Itsukushima Shrine.

The timing of the Kan’gensai is determined by the tidal patterns. It takes place on the 17th day of the lunar calendar’s sixth month, carefully avoiding the high tide season typically in the lunar months of July and August, which coincide with the typhoon season. By scheduling the festival in the lunar month of June, organizers take advantage of large tidal variations.

 

 

 

 

Event overview

■Holding date

June 17, 2024

■Venue: Itsukushima Shrine

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