Event Highlights
Event Day Timetable
(Tobihino)
(Mount Wakakusa Foothill Area)
*Times are approximate and may change depending on the weather on the day.
The Great Tondo Fire From 1:00 p.m.
Since ancient times, people in Japan have believed that fire and water carry the spirit of the gods (their power and blessings). Fire used in shrine rituals, such as at tondo bonfires and fire festivals, is called goshinka (sacred fire) and is considered pure. You will often see people warming themselves by the tondo fire and praying for good health; they are receiving the power of the gods through the fire.
Kasuga Great Tondo Bonfire
Every year on the fourth Saturday of January, from 1:00 p.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m.
A ceremonial fire structure (5 m × 5 m, 3 m high) is set up at Tobihino within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Old talismans, amulets, shimenawa rope decorations, and other items brought to the shrine during the New Year period are ritually burned.
For more information, please contact Kasuga Taisha Shrine or the Nara City Tourism Association.
Sacred Fire Reception Ceremony From 4:45 p.m.
In this ceremony, the sacred fire used for Wakakusa Yamayaki is received from the Kasuga Great Tondo bonfire. It takes place at the Great Tondo site in Tobihino, and the sacred fire is then carried by the sacred fire procession to Nogami Shrine at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa.
The sacred fire is then transferred to the great bonfire at the center of the foothill, leading to the simultaneous lighting of Mt. Wakakusa.
Fire Brigade Send-off Ceremony (Mount Wakakusa Foothill Area) From 5:00 p.m.
Approximately 300 volunteer firefighters who support the Wakakusa Yamayaki, along with personnel responsible for fire suppression, gather at the foot of Mount Wakakusa for a send-off ceremony. The firefighters, who play a vital role in ensuring the event’s safety, come together to unite their resolve ahead of the mountain burning.
Venue: Special stage at the foot of Mount Wakakusa
Sacred Fire Procession Departs 17:05
Led by the sound of conch-shell horns blown by yamabushi mountain ascetics of Kinpusen-ji Temple, the sacred fire procession sets out from Tobihino. This solemn period procession of about 40 people includes Shinto priests of Kasuga Taisha Shrine, monks of Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji temples, and officials of the Nara Magistrate’s Office. Holding aloft the sacred fire passed down from the Kasuga Great Tondo bonfire, they carefully carry it to Nogami Shrine at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa.
Grand Fireworks From 6:15 p.m.
One of the largest in Nara Prefecture! Nara Raisan Grand Fireworks
The grand fireworks that signal the start of Wakakusa Yamayaki.
In the clear winter night sky, colorful fireworks crafted by Nara Prefecture’s pyrotechnicians, including large shakudama shells that are rare in the prefecture, are launched one after another.
*The grand fireworks are made possible by sponsorships and donations.
The man who sparked Japan’s fireworks culture came from Nara!
His name was Kagiya Yahei, born in a village of woodturners in Shinohara (now Oto Town, Gojo City), Nara. Skilled at making fireworks from childhood, he served an apprenticeship at a gunpowder works in Gojo, then moved to Edo and opened a small fireworks shop in Nihonbashi. That was the beginning of Kagiya, which has continued from 1659 to the present day.
The famous Sumida River Fireworks Festival is said to have originated from 20 fireworks launched at a water-god festival held to console the spirits of those who died in the great famine and epidemic of 1732 and to pray for the end of disease. Those fireworks were the standing fireworks and set pieces made by Kagiya. Their beauty still carries the spirit of Yamato today.
*This photo was taken with a long exposure. On the day, the mountain is set alight after the fireworks display ends, so the actual view will differ.
Mountain Burning From 6:30 p.m.: simultaneous lighting
About 300 members of the Nara City Volunteer Fire Corps transfer fire from the great bonfire at the center of the foothill to their torches and carry it to the front slope of Mt. Wakakusa. At the signal of conch-shell horns and bugles, the grassland of about 33 hectares with a perimeter of 3,800 meters is set alight all at once.
Mt. Wakakusa is surrounded by many World Heritage sites, including Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. The event is carried out with the utmost care to prevent accidents such as the fire spreading.
Many people lend their support to pass this historic tradition on to future generations.
