Faith as Authenticity: Kyoto’s Gion Festival in 2020

In 2020, the covid-19 pandemic necessitated the cancellation of public events throughout Japan. Kyoto’s Gion Festival was no exception. In an attempt to preserve what they regarded as the festival’s “true meaning,” different groups of actors involved in the Gion Festival came up with alternative ways of bringing the gods to the city. In this article, I trace the tensions that surfaced during the process of composing an alternative festival format. I also analyze media narratives that ex post presented the modified 2020 Gion Festival as a sincere expression of faith and prayer and as uniquely authentic to its “true meaning.” The alternative festival offers a striking example of ways that authenticity can be successfully constructed and projected in a time of crisis that challenges or otherwise alters the continuity of established practices and traditions.