Instrumentalists pray for safety during the upcoming Gion Matsuri Festival; Group set to perform floating during event

A group of instrumentalists, or hayashigata, perform a musical offering at Kiyomizudera Temple, a World Heritage site, in Kyoto on Sunday evening. The group prayed for safety during the upcoming Gion Matsuri festival by performing a play inspired by the legend of a dragon, an incarnation of the Kannon deity, heading to a waterfall on the temple grounds ahead of the festival in July flies to drink water. Elegant sounds filled the air as the group performed using traditional Japanese musical instruments, such as drums and small hand gongs.