Kamo Racecourse - Kamo Racecourse

The horse racing ritual has been handed down since ancient times at Kamo Wakeikazuchi Shrine in Kamigamo, Kita Ward, Kyoto City. The shrine has been enshrined here since before the capital was moved to Heian, and has held various significant rituals since ancient times. In 1093 (Kanji 7), when the Imperial Court's reverence for the shrine suddenly increased, it is said that the horse racing ritual was performed by the shrine's priests on the fifth day of May, imitating the ritual at the Imperial Palace's Butokuden Hall, as a prayer for peace throughout the country and bountiful harvests. This horse race is made up of 10 horses, and the names of the 20 horses are given to the Kamo Shrine estates in various provinces. The riding ground was a lawn from the west of the first torii gate to the second torii gate, with a fence on both sides of the course, and a temporary shrine (kariya) was built in the center of the east side as a sign of the ritual, with the number of spears lined up according to the number of riders, and the spectator seats were in the sajiki on the west side. Three trees were planted along the riding ground, the first one was called the horse-shed tree, the middle one was called the three whip trees, and the last one was called the match tree. The jockey was called the "norijiri," the judge was called the "nenjin," and the prize was called the "roku." Four days before the race, there was a "foot-aligning ceremony," and on the day of the race, detailed rules were laid out.

[Tatsuo Hagiwara]

"Complete History of Japanese Annual Affairs" (Ema Tsutomu Collected Works Volume 8, 1977, Chuokoron-Shinsha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

京都市北区上賀茂の賀茂別雷(わけいかずち)神社に古来伝えられている競馬(くらべうま)の神事。当社は平安遷都以前からこの地に祀(まつ)られている神社で、古くから意義深い神事を種々営んできたが、1093年（寛治7）朝廷の当社崇敬が急に高まった時期に、天下泰平・五穀豊穣(ほうじょう)の祈願として、5月5日の節日に宮中武徳殿の儀式を模して当社の神官たちに執行させることになったのが競馬神事だと伝えている。この競馬は10番の編成となっており、諸国にある賀茂社領荘園(しょうえん)の名を20匹の馬に付してよんだ。馬場は一の鳥居の西から二の鳥居までの芝生とし、走路の両側に埒(らち)を設け、神事のしるしとして東側中央に頓宮(とんぐう)（仮屋(かりや)）を建て、番数だけ鉾(ほこ)を立て並べ、見物席は西側の桟敷(さじき)としてあった。馬場に沿って3本の木を植え、初めの1本を馬出しの木、中ほどを三つ鞭(むち)の木、終わりの1本を勝負の木とよんだ。また騎手を「乗尻(のりじり)」、審判者を「念人(ねんじん)」、賞を「禄(ろく)」といい、4日前には「足揃(ぞろ)えの儀」があり、当日にも細かい式作法が定められている。

［萩原龍夫］

『「日本歳事全史」（『江馬務著作集　第8巻』1977・中央公論社）』

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