Nara National Museum

Nara’s Kasuga Grand Shrine is an ancient Shinto site and the city’s most celebrated shrine. This exhibition commemorates the On Matsuri, an annual festival held at the shrine which celebrates year’s end as well as Kasuga Wakamiya, a water god. Among the many shrine festivals in Japan, the On Festival has a particularly long history—over 800 years. The entire city of Nara observes this event with parties, processions, and historical reenactments. This exhibition opens in time for the On Matsuri and displays artifacts and depictions of its history through materials related to the central deity, the procession, and the festivities.