Yoshida Fire Festival | Fujiyoshida
Celebration
Every year on August 26th and 27th, the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Asama Shrine and Suwa Shrine hold the "Kanbi Taisai" (Fire Festival), considered one of Japan's three most unique festivals, also known as the "Yoshida Fire Festival." The festival begins at 3 PM on the 26th at Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Asama Shrine. In the evening, palanquin bearers carry the "Myojin Kamiko" (portable shrine) and the "Oyama Kamiko" (portable shrine shaped like Mount Fuji) to the "Gōryō-sō" (temporary lodging) for the night. Simultaneously, over 70 giant torches, each 3 meters tall, along with torches piled up by each household, are lit. The entire town is instantly transformed into a sea of fire, and the festival continues until late at night. On the 27th, the mobile shrines within the two temporary shrines parade through Fujiyoshida City in the afternoon, arriving at the Asama Shrine in the evening. Afterwards, people circle the Takamagahara Plain, bringing the festival to its climax. Because spectators carry stalks of irises (reeds symbolizing sacredness) as the shrine procession circles the Takamagahara grounds, the festival is called the "Iris Festival."