On-Matsuri and the Sacred Art of Kasuga
Nara National Museum
This event has ended.
The On-Matsuri, or Grand Festival of Kasuga Wakamiya Shrine, is a well-loved event highlighting the yearend. During On-Matsuri, performers and festival participants all pay their respects to the Wakamiya deity, who has been transferred to a temporary shrine. Their elegant procession of deserved fame incorporates customs and fashionable figures from various eras, starting with the Heian period (794-1185). In 1979, the colorful performing arts presented at the festival, which include dengaku (field music), bugaku (elegant court dance), and sarugaku (the precursor of noh drama), gained recognition as an Important Intangible National Treasure of Folk Culture under the title Performing Arts of the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri. The festival itself might be said to serve as a time capsule bringing the old traditional performing arts to us today.
This exhibition opens in time for On-Matsuri and displays some of its aspects and history through materials related to the central Wakamiya deity, the procession, and the festivities. In connection, we also exhibit artifacts related to the worship of Kasuga faith, providing a general survey of the spread and multi-faceted character of the Kasuga cult that supports the On-Matsuri.
[Related Event]
Lecture
Date: Dec.26 (Sat) 13:30-15:00
Participants: 194
Please refer to the official site for further details.
Media
Schedule
from December 08, 2015 at 9:30 to January 17, 2016 at 17:00
Closes at 19:00 on Dec.17 (Thurs). Closed on Mondays, Jan.1 (Fri/hol) and Jan.12 (Tues). However, open on Dec.28 (Mon) and Jan.11 (Mon/hol).