The is a traditional Japanese festival (also called matsuri) held annually on October 22 in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of Kyoto's three major festivals, with the other two being the Aoi Matsuri, held annually on May 15, and the Gion Matsuri, which is held annually from 17 to July 24. It is a festival enjoyed by people of all ages, participating in its historical reenactment parade dressed in authentic costumes representing various periods, and characters in Japanese feudal history.
The Jidai Matsuri traces its roots to the relocation of the Japanese capital from Kyoto to Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. This involved the relocation of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial family, the Imperial Palace, and thousands of government officials and subjects to the new city. Fearing for Kyoto's loss of glory and interest from her people, and to commemorate its history, the city government and the Kyoto prefectural government commemorated the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Heian-kyō (平安京), which was the former name of Kyoto, in 794 by (737–806). To inaugurate the first Jidai celebration in 1895, the city government built the to enshrine the spirit of Emperor Kanmu. To add meaning to the festival, it staged a costume procession representing people of each era in Kyoto history. In 1940, the local government decided that on top of honouring Emperor Kanmu, the Jidai festival was also to be held in honour of (July 22, 1831 – January 30, 1867) for his work in unifying the country, the power of the imperial court and the affirmation of Kyoto as the center of Japan at the decline of the Tokugawa shogunate and the end of the Edo period.
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