Uneme Matsuri

The Uneme Festival is held each year on the night of the harvest moon by Sarusawa Pond in the city of Nara. It is the annual festival of Uneme Shrine, which stands on the bank of Sarusawa Pond, and it is known for the enchanting sight of two elegant boats adorned with the figures of a dragon head and a legendary water bird gliding across the moonlit pond amid the strains of gagaku court music.

This festival is connected with the sorrowful legend of an uneme, a court lady who served the Emperor in the Nara period. It is said that an uneme, lamenting that the Emperor's affection for her had faded, threw herself into Sarusawa Pond, and the festival has been handed down as a rite to console her spirit. On the night of the harvest moon, the most beautiful moon of the year, the scene woven by the boats floating on the water and the gagaku music has become a seasonal tradition symbolizing autumn in the ancient capital of Nara.

History and Origins

The origin of the Uneme Festival traces back to the legend of the uneme handed down in the Yamato Monogatari, a poem-tale of the mid-Heian period. From the Asuka period there was a custom by which provincial nobles presented their daughters to the imperial house, and the court ladies who thus served in the palace were called uneme. The uneme were women who attended to the Emperor's personal needs, often from distinguished provincial families, and they held a special place at court.

According to the Yamato Monogatari, in the Nara period a certain uneme enjoyed the Emperor's affection, but in time that affection faded. Grieving deeply, the uneme at last threw herself into Sarusawa Pond, so the tale relates. This story of tragic love long remained in people's hearts, and a festival came to be held to console the spirit of the uneme.

Uneme Shrine, which stands on the bank of Sarusawa Pond, is the shrine that enshrines the spirit of this uneme, and it is a subordinate shrine of Kasuga Taisha. The shrine has a distinctive tradition: it is said that because the uneme who threw herself into the pond could not bear to look upon the very pond into which she had cast herself, the shrine building was constructed facing away from the pond. This rare form of a shrine turned away from the water is known as conveying to the present the sense of grief and affection for the uneme.

The Uneme Festival has been held as the annual festival of this Uneme Shrine on the night of the harvest moon each year. Because it is held to coincide with the harvest moon, its date on the modern calendar varies from year to year. The conceit of this festival, in which the spirit of the uneme is consoled beneath the light of the full moon, conveys to the present the aesthetic sense of court culture in which moon, water, and gagaku are united, and it is cherished as an elegant autumn festival unique to the ancient capital of Nara.

Highlights

The Rite of the Music Boats The greatest highlight of the Uneme Festival is the rite of the music boats performed at night on Sarusawa Pond. Two graceful boats adorned with the figures of a dragon head and a legendary water bird glide slowly across the moonlit pond amid the resounding performance of gagaku. The scene in which the moon reflected on the water, the boats, and the flowing strains of gagaku are united holds an enchanting beauty reminiscent of a Heian court picture scroll.

Casting the Flower Fan into the Pond At the climax of the rite of the music boats, a flower fan is cast into the pond to console the spirit of the uneme. The sight of the flower fan, beautifully adorned with autumn grasses and flowers, floating on the water is a scene that symbolizes the prayer of repose for the uneme. This act, set against the background of a sorrowful legend, is imbued with a quiet and deep emotion.

The Rite of Offering the Flower Fan In the evening, the solemn annual rite of offering the flower fan is conducted at Uneme Shrine by priests of Kasuga Taisha. Preceding the rite of the music boats, this rite forms the heart of the festival, offering a flower fan to the spirit of the uneme and praying for the festival to pass without incident. Conducted amid the solemn air unique to an ancient shrine, it has a character distinct from the splendid rite of the music boats.

The Procession Offering the Flower Fan On the day of the festival, a procession unfolds in which bearers of the flower fan clad in period costume hold the fan aloft and parade through the streets of Nara, including Sanjo-dori. The sight of a procession in Heian-era dress advancing through the streets of the ancient capital is splendid and delights the eyes of people along the route. It plays the role of spreading the elegant atmosphere of the festival throughout the town.

Harmony with the Harvest Moon Because the Uneme Festival is held on the night of the harvest moon, the festival itself is deeply bound up with the moon. Beneath the light of the full moon said to be the most beautiful of the year, the scene of the music boats crossing the pond and the gagaku flowing is a charm unique to this festival, in which the traditional Japanese aesthetic of moon-viewing and the pathos of the uneme legend blend together. The special setting of the night of the harvest moon lends the festival an even deeper emotion.

The Scenery of Sarusawa Pond Sarusawa Pond, the stage of the festival, is a scenic spot representative of Nara, commanding a view of the five-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji. The bank of the pond, fringed with willows, is a place of rest visited by many sightseers by day, but on the night of the Uneme Festival it is transformed into an enchanting festival space illuminated by the music boats, the lanterns, and the harvest moon. The historic pond itself serves as an important stage setting of this festival.

Event Information

• Date: The night of the harvest moon each year (the fifteenth night of the eighth lunar month; varies on the modern calendar)
• Venue: Sarusawa Pond and Uneme Shrine (Nara City)
• Host: Uneme Shrine (a subordinate shrine of Kasuga Taisha)
• Main Rites: The rite of offering the flower fan at Uneme Shrine, the procession offering the flower fan through Nara, and the rite of the music boats on Sarusawa Pond at night
• Music Boats: Two boats adorned with a dragon head and a legendary water bird cross the pond amid gagaku
• Origin: The uneme legend of the Yamato Monogatari (a court lady who lost the Emperor's affection threw herself into Sarusawa Pond)

Related Events and Nearby Places

Uneme Shrine, the heart of the festival, is a subordinate shrine of Kasuga Taisha standing on the bank of Sarusawa Pond. Known for its rare form of a shrine turned away from the pond, it is usually a small, quiet shrine, but on the day of the Uneme Festival many people visit it. As a shrine bearing the story of the uneme legend, it draws the interest of those who visit Nara.

Very close to Sarusawa Pond stands Kofuku-ji, which is registered as a World Heritage Site. It is an ancient temple with magnificent halls including its five-story pagoda, and the view of the pagoda across Sarusawa Pond is known as a scene representative of Nara. When visiting the Uneme Festival, by touring Kofuku-ji and the surrounding Nara Park together, one can fully savor the history and culture of the ancient capital.

The area around Sarusawa Pond lies at the southern edge of Nara Park and is a central district of the ancient capital leading to famous shrines and temples such as Kasuga Taisha and Todai-ji. With the charm of Nara Park where deer come and go, and the old townscape called Naramachi nearby, it is a location where one can enjoy autumn in Nara together with the Uneme Festival. The special experience of visiting the ancient capital on the night of the harvest moon is a great charm of this festival.

Related Information

• Month: The night of the harvest moon (the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month; varies on the modern calendar)
• Prefecture and Region: Nara City, Nara Prefecture; Kinki region
• Host Shrine: Uneme Shrine (a subordinate shrine of Kasuga Taisha; a shrine turned away from the pond)
• Origin: The uneme legend of the Yamato Monogatari; the sorrowful tale of a court lady who lost the Emperor's affection and threw herself into Sarusawa Pond
• Features: Music boats with a dragon head and a legendary water bird cross the moonlit Sarusawa Pond, and a flower fan is cast to console the spirit of the uneme
• Related: A rite of repose deriving from the institution of the uneme, court ladies who served in the palace since the Asuka period

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