Kurama Fire Festival

The Kurama Fire Festival (Japanese: 鞍馬の火祭, Hepburn: Kurama no Hi Matsuri) is a Shinto festival held annually on October 22nd at Yuki-jinja Shrine, located in Kurama, Kyoto. It is famous for its procession of giant, ignited pine torches (taimatsu).

The origin of this festival dates back to 940 AD, when the kami (deity) Yuki Daimyōjin was relocated to Kurama to protect the capital (Heian-kyō) from its northeastern "demon gate" (kimon). The main rituals include the torch procession, Shimenawa-kiri (sacred rope cutting), and the descent of two mikoshi (portable shrines) down the steep stone steps. During this descent, a custom called ‘Choppen no Gi’ is observed, where men hang upside down from the mikoshi's carrying poles and use their own body weight as a counterweight to stabilize it. This event is one of Kyoto's "Three Great Eccentric Festivals" (Sandai Kisai) and is held concurrently with the city's Jidai Matsuri.

In the 10th century, Japan's capital, Heian-kyō, that is, modern-day Kyoto, faced numerous crises, including continuous political instability, civil wars, and terrifying natural disasters. In particular, a devastating earthquake in 940 AD shook the capital's foundations. The reigning Emperor Suzaku believed these disasters were occurring due to a flaw in the capital's spiritual protection.^[1] According to the ancient Japanese belief of Onmyōdō, the northeast direction of the capital was considered the Kimon or Demon Gate. It was believed that all malevolent forces and calamities entered the capital through this route. The Kurama mountain range was located precisely in this dangerous northeastern direction. To protect the capital and block the path of these evil forces, Emperor Suzaku ordered that the powerful deity, or kami, Yuki Daimyojin, who was worshipped in the Imperial Palace, be permanently transferred to Kurama.^[2] On that night in 940 AD, when the sacred symbol of Yuki Daimyojin arrived in the dark, mountainous village of Kurama, the local residents lit countless torches, or taimatsu, illuminating the entire mountain path to light the deity's way and welcome him. While this event of 940 AD forms the mythological basis of the festival, according to supplementary theories from historical research, the festival's current form especially the enormous torches likely developed during the later Edo period.^[3] There may also be a practical reason behind this. Because a great deal of light was needed to bring the heavy portable shrines, or mikoshi, down the steep and dangerous mountain slopes at night, the torches gradually became larger, more magnificent, and more dramatic.^[4][5]

The focal point of the festival is the Yuki-Jinja Shrine, a sacred place surrounded by ancient cedar trees on the slopes of Mount Kurama. Although it is located within the precincts of the Buddhist temple Kurama-dera, it is an entirely separate Shinto sanctuary.^[6] The main deity here is Yuki Daimyojin, who is often identified with Ōnamuchi no Mikoto or Ōkuninushi no Mikoto, one of the primary deities of Japanese Shinto mythology. He is worshipped as the god of prosperity in business and matchmaking. The shrine is also believed to bestow blessings for fire prevention and safe childbirth.^[7] Two mikoshi, or portable shrines, are carried during the festival. The first is for the "guest" deity from the capital, Yuki Daimyojin, and the second mikoshi carries Kurama's ancient local tutelary deity, Yasho Daimyojin or Hassho Daimyojin.^[8]

This festival on October 22nd begins with sacred rites in the morning and concludes with the final phase at midnight.^[9][10]

At 9 AM, in the main hall of Yuki Shrine, Shinto priests perform sacred rituals to summon and install the two deities Yasho Daimyojin and Hassho Daimyojin into their respective mikoshi. At 6 PM, the festival begins with the formal call, "Shinji ni mairasha-re!" ("Come to the ritual!"). Upon this signal, kagaribi (watch fires) are lit in front of every house in the village. At this time, many families display their valuable family treasures, such as ancient samurai armor or paintings, near their windows as a tribute to that original reception in 940 AD. Immediately after, the festival's main attraction begins: the taimatsu or giant torch procession. Young children, the future bearers of this ritual, lead the procession with small, handmade torches. They are followed by adolescents, whose torches are somewhat larger, and finally, the adult men of the village hoist burning pine torches 3 to 5 meters long and weighing 80 to 100 kg onto their shoulders. Chanting "Saireya, Sairyo!" ("Great festival!" or "Festival, at its best!"), they advance through the village's narrow paths toward the shrine. Around 8 PM, the procession reaches its climax. Hundreds of torchbearers gather on the stone steps of the Kurama-dera temple's Sanmon Gate. This sight has been described as a "wall of fire." After this peak gathering of torches, the festival's focus shifts from fire to divinity. Amidst the beating of drums, the Shimenawa-kiri, or sacred straw rope cutting ceremony, is held. This rope delineates the sacred area, and cutting it formally opens the path for the deities to descend into the village. Immediately afterward, the descent of the two heavy mikoshi down the steep, slippery steps begins. This is the main religious rite of the festival. The two mikoshi parade throughout the village, arriving after midnight at the Otabisho, or the deities' temporary resting place. There, the sacred Shinto dance known as Kagura is performed as an offering to the deities. Finally, a concluding kagura torch is lit, and as it extinguishes, this great spectacle comes to an end.^{[11][4][12][13]}

The attire of the participants in the Kurama Fire Festival is a symbolic ritual uniform.^[14]

• Fundoshi: This is the traditional Japanese loincloth. This minimal garment gives participants ultimate freedom of movement and offers some protection from the intense heat of the fire.
• Rope Skirt: A skirt woven from straw or rope. In Shinto rituals, rope (like the shimenawa) is a symbol of purity and protection.
• Waraji: Traditional straw-woven warrior's sandals. These are ideal for the uneven, steep, and slippery mountain paths.
• Shoulder Pad: A thick, padded cloth placed over the shoulder.

One of the most peculiar and dangerous rituals of the festival is the Choppen no Gi, performed while the two mikoshi are being brought down the steep steps. Young men from the village, wearing only fundoshi, hang upside down from the front of the two main bearing poles of the mikoshi in a posture resembling the character '大' (Dai).^[15] According to an ancient account, in the past, a young man who did not participate in this ritual was not considered a "full man" and could be deemed ineligible for marriage. There is also a fascinating, and likely more ancient, practical explanation for this ritual. As it is nearly impossible to maintain balance while bringing the several-hundred-kilogram mikoshi down the steep, narrow, and dangerous steps, the young men hang upside down from the poles, using their body weight as a counterweight, which helps keep the mikoshi horizontal and stable, preventing it from toppling over. This dangerous, functional task later transformed into a symbolic test of courage or a rite of passage. While men carry the torches and mikoshi as symbols of physical strength, young women pull the long ropes attached to the mikoshi. According to popular belief, this act helps ensure anzan or safe childbirth for the women.^[16]