Gion Festival

Inagaki Nenjiro

Inagaki Nenjiro (Toshijiro) depicts a scene from the famous Gion Matsuri festival, which takes place in Kyoto, Japan, in the month of July. A celebration of purification, it began in the 9th century in reaction to an epidemic caused by a major flood and is intended to appease the gods of natural disaster in the hopes of pacifying disease. It takes place at the Yasaka Shrine in the Gion district.

In this scene, the major highlight of the month’s celebrations, the Yamaboko Junko parade, is depicted in bright jewel tones with a portable wooden shrine dominating the mid ground. This particular shrine appears to be Naginataboko, one of the first shrines to appear in the parade, featuring an ancient sword on its peak. Festival-goers in traditional and modern dress are seen watching the festivities with parasols and wide-brimmed hats, admiring the elaborate decorations, dances, and regalia under the bright sun after several nights of enjoying food, drink, music, and elaborate lantern displays. Nenjiro captures the celebratory feel of the moment with his minimal, Modernist aesthetic.