Overview
- On January 3 in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, Yasaka Shrine held its annual karuta-hajime ceremony featuring Hyakunin Isshu card matches.
- Twelve women from the All-Japan Karuta Association’s Kinki branch appeared as karuta-hime and dōjo on the shrine’s Noh stage.
- Performers, dressed in Heian-period court attire, took cards with measured movements as the upper phrases of poems were read.
- The event marks its 54th iteration, reflecting a tradition tied to the shrine’s enshrined deity Susanoo and early waka composition lore.
- Tourists and New Year visitors photographed the scene, and a 22-year-old Kyoto University participant said taking part was an honor.