Kobo-san, Tenjin-san, Garakuta-ichi and Tedukuri-ichi are typical flea market of Kyoto city, but these are not same. In Kobo-san at To-ji Temple (Flea Market) and Tenjin-san at Kitano-tenmangu Shrine (Flea Market), there stand more than 1000 stalls hoping that it would attract the ennichi (a shrine or temple fair) crowd (people who pay homage at a shrine or temple). These look like each other, but there is a big difference between the two flea markets; one takes place in a temple (namely Buddhism) and the other does in a shrine (namely Shintoism).


Garakuta-ichi at To-ji Temple (the place which holds the Kobo-san) is Antique Market. Tedukuri-ichi means Open-air Craft Market at Chion-ji Temple. Two men have started it since 1986 as place for publishing the amateur’s works (handmade goods and crafts). This flea market always is bubbling with many ideas. There are stalls of various; accessory, pottery, earthenware, spice, bread, coffee, etc.. As mentioned above, each flea market history and goods that they deal in are different.

Kyoto “Maeda no baby-kasutera”

Because Hatsu-Kobo (the 21st January) which means the first Kobo-san of the year fell on Sunday, many people crowded there. So sometimes I couldn’t move where I want to go. Even though I was under such situation, I was lured to buy “Maeda no baby-kasutera” by a good smell.


In Kyoto, we associate the name of an ennichi or festival with “Maeda no baby-kasutera”. It is a hot and small pancake (the shape like a cocoon). I walked eating fresh-baked those. Of course it was soft and light, delicious.

Would you like some “Maeda no baby-kasutera”? You can buy it at Kobo-san and Tenjin-san.

Kobo-san and Tenjin-san are Flea Market!

It is said that Kobo-san’s start was few stalls of tea and light meal for people that visit to a memorial service of Kobo-taishi on the 21th every month at To-ji Temple and it has been held since Edo period. The 21th March is the anniversary of his death.


It seems that the beginning of Tenjin-san was stalls which hoped that it would attract the audience of artistic accomplishments which had been dedicated, and sideshows and the worshipers on the 25th which is the anniversary of Sugawara Michizane’s birth and death every month at Kitano-tenmangu Shrine.


Neither the kind nor the number of stalls change into Kobo-san and Tenjin-san too much. There stand stalls of food, daily necessaries, tool, antique, and just about anything else you can imagine; okonomi-yaki (like a pancake with cabbage), tai-yaki (sweets that the shape is bream), mochi (rice cake), red pepper, incense, old kimono and obi, and pottery, etc.. There are things of the seasonal limited sale also.




There are indeed various stalls and I can enjoy, but I always lose my way because To-ji Temple is too wide. When I want to go to same stall again later I can not find it. In this respect, I think that Tenjin-san is more comprehensible than Kobo-san. Because the condition is the following; in the approach to the main shrine there line stalls of food, there queue stalls of plant and bonsai in the west side of the approach, and there stand stalls of daily necessaries and antique in the east side of the approach.



Many people go to Kobo-san and Tenjin-san. However, these days, people go there for visiting to flea market, but not for paying homage at a shrine or temple. Then new kinds of stalls like a massage are increasing. Some people complain that this situation is the outcome of putting the cart before the horse. On the other, some people have hope that it becomes trigger for which young people come to a temple.

Merits (blessings) of Tenjin-san

It is said that there are many merits (blessings) of Sugawara Michizane at Kitano-tenmangu Shrine. People who have various wishs visited to Hatsu-Tenjin (25th Jan) which means the first Tenjin-san of the year, and were praying to God. Women were surrounding “Oushi-san (the statue of cow)” saying “I pat this part, and I have another bad part, so I pat this part, too.”. Because it is believed that it cures when the part of the same “Oushi-san” as the part of oneself which is bad is patted. And, the examinee wrote ema (a votive picture tablet of a horse), and was praying to pass the examination.


Many ume (Japanese apricot) have been planted there as Sugawara Michizane loved it, and Baika-sai (Festival of ume blossoms) take place on 25th February every year. Because it was warm this winter, the bud of ume (Japanese apricot) in precincts already were swelling.


I am going to go to Garakuta-ichi and Tedukuri-ichi next!

To be continued on next article; Flea Market of Kyoto (2).

Information

• Kobo-san (To-ji Temple); the 21^st every month, 5:00-16:30
• Tenjin-san (Kitano-tenmangu Shrine); the 25^th every month, 6:30-21:00

Other small-scale flea markets

• Ichimoku tedukuri-ichi at Umekoji-koen park; the first Thursday every month
• Flea market at Myoren-ji Temple; the 12nd every month
• Saezuri-ichi at Kamigoryo-jinjya Shrine; the 18^th every month (except May), 9:00-16:00
• Omoshiro-ichi at Toyokuni-jinjya Shrine; the 8^th and 18^th every month
• Omoshiro-ichi at Rokusonno-jinjya Shrine; the 28^th every month
• Omoshiro-ichi at Gosyo-yahata-gu shrine; every Friday

Maybe there is plenty more of it.