Hosho-yama: Gion Matsuri!, a set on Flickr.
This float features the famous love story between court poetess Izumi Shikibu and courtier Hirai Yasumasa. In the scene portrayed on this float the valiant Yasumasa, also called Hosho, dares to intrude into the Shishin-den, the very center of the Imperial court, to snap a branch from a noted red Ume tree (Japanese plum) to present it to the court lady that he admires.
The holy doll depicts Yasumasa, in armor with a long sword, politely offering the Ume branch to his beloved lady. The doll’s head was carved in 1500, and the torso was made between the years of 1789 and approximately 1800 by a sculptor living in this neighborhood. The embroideries of the frontal hanging and the side hangings of this float are based on famous paintings by Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), one of the greatest artists of the Edo period, and are Important Cultural Assets of Kyoto City.
Amulets for singles and couples to ensure love and marriage are given at the float site from July 14 through July 16, the eve of the Gion Festival parade.
Izumi Shikibu was a mid Heian period Japanese poet. She is a member of the Thirty-six Medieval Poetry Immortals. She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of Joto Mon’in.
