“Konchiki Gs,” a project to commemorate the 1,150th anniversary of the beginning of the Gion Festival

Konchiki Gs was a project of École de Kyodai, a working group of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty of Kyoto University. The working group aims to achieve a “sustainable campus” by reducing environmental impact through the efforts of all members.

The project was launched out in 2019 to commemorate 1,150 years of the Gion Festival. According to Gion Hon’enzatsu Jikki (“Various Authentic Accounts of Gion”), the Gion Festival, famous for the konchikichin sound of its musical accompaniment, began in 869, meaning that 2019 marks the festival’s 1,150th anniversary. Though it has changed continually with the times, for over a millennium the Gion Festival has prayed each year for peace and tranquility in Japan and the world, respite from natural disasters and reverence for nature.

The aim of the project is to reaffirm the philosophy of the Gion Festival and spread its values to the world. Based on the lessons of the Gion Festival, Konchiki Gs encourages people to think about sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have conversations about how we will live and think about nature over the next thousand years, and to update the SDGs from time to time.