In 863 a plague struck the capital.

Disease in those days was attributed to either gods or demons, and so the court decided to hold a special event in order to placate the 'goryō' (御霊 - angry spirits believed to be responsible for the epidemic) with music, dance and offerings.

Back to biscuits...

At the first 'goryō-e', held in the grounds of the imperial gardens, one of the many offerings was a type of Chinese-style cracker.
It is said that Kibi-no-Asomi Makibi (吉備真備 695-775), an envoy to Tang, was the first to introduce these crackers to Japan.

But why was the cracker offered?

Well, Kibi was 1 of the 6 goryō being worshipped. Regarded as the founder of Japanese onmyōdō (陰陽道 'The Way of Yin and Yang'), Kibi's exalted career ended in humiliation when his candidates to succeed Empress Shōtoku failed to take the throne.

Because of their connection to the rituals held to end epidemics, people began to eat the 'karaita' crackers (唐板) for their own health and protection.

A similar belief surrounds Ichimonjiya Wasuke's (一文字屋和輔) 'aburi-mochi' (あぶり餅) at Imamiya-jinja.
#Kyoto #京都 #Japan

The original goryō-e at Shinsen-en (神泉苑) in 863 evolved to become the Gion Matsuri (祇園祭), which focused not on the 8 goryō but the 'plague god' Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王).

#Japan #Kyoto #京都 #GionMatsuri

The Ōnin War (応仁の乱 1467-77) ended production of the original 'karaita' (唐板), but when the dust had settled the founder of Mizuta Gyokūndō (水田玉雲堂) hunted through old documents to recreate the crackers.

And the store has been selling them ever since (for 542 years)!

In the Shōwa period Mizuta Gyokūndō (水田玉雲堂) moved in front of Kami Goryō-jinja (上御霊神社), where Kibi-no-Makibi (吉備真備 695-775) is enshrined.

Each 'karaita' (唐板) is handmade from a simple recipe of sugar, flour and eggs. The store only sells this sweet🍘🙏
#Kyoto

⚔️💀VENGEFUL GHOSTS👹😇

For #folklorethursday I thought I'd take a look at the 'vengeful ghosts' that so worried the Heian aristocracy.
In Kyōto attempts to appease six of these ghosts would lead to the creation of two shrines and (inadvertently) the Gion Matsuri.
#Kyoto #京都

The Gion Matsuri would evolve from a ritual to appease this group of 'goryō' at Shinsen-en (神泉苑) in 865.

An altar was erected to the 6 goryō (this number would later rise to 8) and entertainment provided. Even the common people were given access to the palace's private garden.

Kamigoryō-jinja (上御霊神社) and Shimogoryō-jinja (下御霊神社), the 'upper' and 'lower' Goryō shrines, have a long and complicated history that is far older than Kyōto.

They came to enshrine the spirits of 6 (then 8, much later even 13) nobles, all believed to have become vengeful spirits in death.

Unfairly treated by the court while alive (some even forced to take their own lives), in death these nobles were believed to have become malevolent forces.

By worshiping and enshrining them, it was hoped they would be transformed into protective deities of the capital and country.

Emperor Kammu, when founding Kyōto, would begin the tradition of enshrining 'goryō', starting with his own brother.

Prince Sawara had been implicated in the murder of Fujiwara-no-Tanetsugu (藤原種継), the man in charge of constructing the short-lived capital Nagaoka-kyō (長岡京).