One of Japan's three major strange festivals, this fire festival held annually on August 26th and 27th at both the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and the Suwa Shrine, is known as Yoshida's Fire Festival.
The rituals start at the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine on the 26th, from 15:00. In the evening hours, carriers known as Seko, bring two portable shrines, the Myojin Omikoshi and the Oyama Omikoshi to O-tabi-sho, their resting spot for the night. Around the same time, locals set fire to the 70+ giant torches made of pine standing 3 meters tall, as well as the torches of every household. In a moments time, the entire city is lit aflame, becoming a sea of fire heating up the festival that burns into the late hours of the night.
On the 27th, the omikoshi kept inside of O-tabi-sho, is removed and paraded around Yoshida city in the afternoon. As dusk comes around, it arrives at the Sengen Shrine. The festival reaches its finale after circling the Takamanohara inside of the shrine grounds. The festival is also known Susuki Matsuri(Silver Grass Festival), after the name of the branch of a sacred silver grass tree held in hand when attending the rituals.
Information from: www.ohmatsuri.com
