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Yomiuri Shimbun

Kyoto Gion Festival: Temple, Shrine Exchange Holy Water to Banish Plagues

KYOTO — A Shinto priest of Yasaka Shrine and a monk of Shinsen-en temple on Monday held a ritual to exchange holy water and pray for the banishment of plagues at Shinsen-en in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, as part of Kyoto's Gion Festival. Shinsen-en is believed to be the birthplace of Gion Festival. The main shrine of Yasaka Shrine in Higashiyama Ward in the city is said to have been built on a pond called Ryuketsu, or dragon's den. Ryuketsu and a pond in the temple grounds are believed to be connected underground. Rituals held to calm evil spirits at the temple in the nineth century when epidemics broke out are said to have been subsequently transformed into Gion Festival. During the ritual on Monday, a monk of the temple and a priest of the shrine exchanged bottles of holy water drawn from their wells.