At a festival in northeastern Kyoto City, participants threw flaming torches at an elevated bamboo basket by the riverbank, praying for a good harvest.
Residents carry torches at the Matsuage festival.
On August 15, the Matsuage fire festival took place in the Hanase Yamasu area of Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. In hopes of an abundant harvest, participants hurled torches high into the night sky, creating fiery parabolas in the darkness.
Dazzling Arcs in the Dark
Around 40 local residents, clad in traditional happi coats, lit approximately 1,000 torches around 9 PM. They spun and threw the torches at a bamboo basket mounted on a 20-meter-high pole. Each throw sent a dazzling arc through the air, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
RELATED:
- Arrows Fly at Spectacular Fire Festival in Wakayama
- Armored 'Warriors' Race on Horseback at 1000-Year-Old Festival
- Life with Furoshiki: The Shapeshifting Cloth Making Its Way into the World
- Kyoto Temple Recreates Gochi Nyorai National Treasure in a New Garden
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
