賀茂競馬：2024年5月5日（日）

　さて，本日は上賀茂神社（賀茂別雷神社）で，昼過ぎより，賀茂競馬（かもくらべうま）會の神事が執り行われた。1093（寛治7）年に上賀茂神社でこの神事が執り行われるようになって，今年で931年目だという。

　吉田兼好（兼好法師）が執筆した随筆集『徒然草』（14世紀中頃）第四十一段にも，賀茂競馬の見物客で大変混雑していて，後ろからでは馬が競い走るのも見えなかったありさまが「五月五日，賀茂の競べ馬を見侍りしに，車の前に雑人立ち隔てて見えざりしかば，おのおの下りて，埒（らち）のきはに寄りたれど，殊に人多く立ち込みて，分け入りぬべきやうもなし。‥‥（以下略）」とある。

　いまでは，観覧席は有料である。野外席500円，テント席1,000円だという（2023年当時）。その徒然草の一節に登場したような，賀茂競馬の見物客で混雑するなかで，センダン（栴檀，オウチ）の木に登り枝に座って居眠りをし，今にも木から落ちそうになっている法師の情景は，もう見ることもないだろうということだ。

Kamo Horse Racing：May 5th(Sunday)

Today, at the Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo Wakeikazuchi Shrine), in the early afternoon, the ritual of the Kamo Horse Racing Association was held. It is said that this ritual has been held at the Kamigamo Shrine since 1093 (in the 7th year of the Kanji era), making this year the 931st anniversary.

In the essay collection "Tsurezuregusa" (written in the mid-14th century) by Yoshida Kenko (also known as Kenko Hoshi), in section forty-one, it is described how crowded it was with spectators at the Kamo Horse Racing event, to the extent that one could not even see the horses racing from behind. It reads, "On May 5th, when I went to see the Kamo horse races, the commoners stood in front of the carts, blocking the view. Each person descended, trying to get closer to the edge of the ditch, but with so many people crowded together, there was no way to break through..." and so forth.

Nowadays, seating for spectators is available for a fee. Outdoor seating costs 500 yen, and tent seating costs 1,000 yen (as of 2023). The scene of a monk, as described in "Tsurezuregusa," who climbed a sandalwood tree amidst the crowded spectators of the Kamo Horse Racing event, sat on a branch and dozed off, seemingly about to fall from the tree, is something we are unlikely to see again.