祭り

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 夏祭りに行きたい。▶ —
   I want to go to the summer festival.
2. 祭りでお神輿を担いだ。▶ —
   I carried the portable shrine at the festival.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Matsuri (祭り) is a Japanese festival — the verb matsuru (祀る, to enshrine / serve the gods) nominalized. Religiously, matsuri is a Shinto rite of "serving kami," not mere amusement. Japan's three major festivals: Kyoto's Gion Matsuri (July, since 869), Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri (July), Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri (May). Summer matsuri essentials: omikoshi (portable shrine carried in procession), yatai (street stalls selling yaki-soba, tako-yaki, ringo-ame), bon-odori (Bon-festival dance), hanabi (fireworks), yukata (summer cotton kimono). The word stretches metaphorically: omatsuri sawagi (festival-grade ruckus), "the World Cup is a matsuri." A core inbound tourism product — Kyoto Gion's July 16–17 Yamahoko procession was inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Etymology splits from Korean and Chinese: matsuri comes from the verb "serve / enshrine," while Korean / Chinese 節 (jeol / jié) comes from "season / division."

Quick check

1. Origin year of Kyoto's Gion Matsuri?

   • 869 (Heian-era plague-quelling rite)
   • 1600 (Edo era)
   • 1868 (Meiji)
   • 1945 (postwar)