KYOTO -- The Gion Festival, one of the three major festivals in Japan, started in this ancient capital on July 1. At Yasaka Shrine, a ritual was held to pray for the safety of the event by a child who will ride on the "Naginatahoko" float that leads the "yamahoko" float procession, the biggest showpiece of the famed festival.

The "Osendo no Gi" is a ritual in which participants walk clockwise around the main shrine three times to be considered to have worshipped 1,000 times. It is performed on July 1 every year and marks the beginning of the month-long festival.

Unfortunately, it was raining in Kyoto, but the ritual began at 10 a.m. Clad in light green kimono and thick-soled footwear, the "chigo" child entered the main shrine with a look of nervousness on his face, which was covered in white makeup. After being purified, he was accompanied by two boys called "kamuro," who served as his assistants, and made three rounds around the main shrine, with a red umbrella raised over his head.

After completing his first major task as the chigo, Masaki Nishikawa, 11, a sixth grader at Kyoto Municipal Rakuo Elementary School, smiled and said, "It was a good experience for me to be able to visit the great deity of Yasaka Shrine." He then added, "As the chief priest told me, I want to do my best in each event, smiling when I'm having fun and being serious when I'm concentrating."

The kamuro roles were performed by Mondo Ogawa, 7, a second grader at the municipal Suzaku Dainana Elementary School, and Ichito Nishibuchi, 8, a third grader at Rakuo Elementary School.

(Japanese original by Reiko Nakajima, Kyoto Bureau)