Yoshida no Himatsuri 2024

The Yoshida Fire Festival (Yoshida no Himatsuri) is a festival held in the Kamiyoshida district of Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture. It is one of the three extraordinary festivals of Japan, known as the “Nihon San Kisaai.” This festival serves as the annual grand festival for both the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and its associated Suwa Shrine. The event spans two days, with the “Chinka-sai” (fire-setting ceremony) on August 26th and the “Susuki Matsuri” on August 27th.

True to its name, the festival involves the burning of large torches, approximately 3 meters in height, along the Honcho Street, a stretch of about 1 kilometer from the Kanadorii gate in Kamiyoshida to the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine. Around 70 to 80 of these large torches are ignited, and numerous smaller torches, constructed in a grid pattern by each household, are also set ablaze. As dusk falls, fires are sequentially lit on the large torches, and along the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, small torches are simultaneously kindled. The town of Kamiyoshida and the mountain become one as the festival unfolds, transforming the streets into a sea of fire that remains lively until late at night.

The Yoshida Fire Festival is not only a significant event for the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and Suwa Shrine but also holds cultural and folkloric significance. It reflects local beliefs and customs related to Mount Fuji, including folk practices like Fuji-kou and itinerant priests. The festival was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the Japanese government on December 25, 2000, and later, on March 8, 2012, it was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property at the national level, making it the third such designation in Yamanashi Prefecture. The designation falls under the category of “Folk Customs.”

 

 

 

 

Event Summary

Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi

Period
Dates: August 26 and 27, 2024

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