04:27Every year during the Daimonji Festival, the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi lights up the mountains of Kyoto with five huge blazing fires, creating an unforgettable experience in the hottest month of the year.
Footage filmed on Friday shows festival-goers gathering at a shrine, inscribing messages on wooden charms, and volunteers preparing for a bonfire in the mountains. Later in the evening, attendees are seen taking photos of the illuminated mountains.
"I am 55 years old, and I came to pray for the health of my high school and junior high school classmates," said Masato Ueda from Osaka "It is an ancient custom to meet the spirits of ancestors and thank them by burning Gomagi to light a holy fire, and I believe it is a good, old Japanese culture," he continued
"In Tokyo, Obon is simply a time to return to our parent's home, but in Kyoto, the entire city holds this event as a way to send off the souls of returning ancestors, so I was surprised to see it being held on such a large scale," said Hiroshi Tanaka, a visitor from Tokyo.
During the week-long Obon celebration, it is believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors return to their living relatives. The Daimonji festival marks the end of this visit, guiding the spirits back to the heavens with ceremonial fires.
Five bonfires have been lit on the high mountains, to the north, east and west of the city. Three of these bonfires take the shape of Chinese characters, while the other two take the form of a shrine gate and a boat. The bonfires can be seen from nearly every part of the city.
'Ancient custom meeting spirits' - Five giant bonfires light up Kyoto's mountains to mark centuries-old Daimonji Festival
Every year during the Daimonji Festival, the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi lights up the mountains of Kyoto with five huge blazing fires, creating an unforgettable experience in the hottest month of the year.
Footage filmed on Friday shows festival-goers gathering at a shrine, inscribing messages on wooden charms, and volunteers preparing for a bonfire in the mountains. Later in the evening, attendees are seen taking photos of the illuminated mountains.
"I am 55 years old, and I came to pray for the health of my high school and junior high school classmates," said Masato Ueda from Osaka "It is an ancient custom to meet the spirits of ancestors and thank them by burning Gomagi to light a holy fire, and I believe it is a good, old Japanese culture," he continued
"In Tokyo, Obon is simply a time to return to our parent's home, but in Kyoto, the entire city holds this event as a way to send off the souls of returning ancestors, so I was surprised to see it being held on such a large scale," said Hiroshi Tanaka, a visitor from Tokyo.
During the week-long Obon celebration, it is believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors return to their living relatives. The Daimonji festival marks the end of this visit, guiding the spirits back to the heavens with ceremonial fires.
Five bonfires have been lit on the high mountains, to the north, east and west of the city. Three of these bonfires take the shape of Chinese characters, while the other two take the form of a shrine gate and a boat. The bonfires can be seen from nearly every part of the city.
Every year during the Daimonji Festival, the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi lights up the mountains of Kyoto with five huge blazing fires, creating an unforgettable experience in the hottest month of the year.
Footage filmed on Friday shows festival-goers gathering at a shrine, inscribing messages on wooden charms, and volunteers preparing for a bonfire in the mountains. Later in the evening, attendees are seen taking photos of the illuminated mountains.
"I am 55 years old, and I came to pray for the health of my high school and junior high school classmates," said Masato Ueda from Osaka "It is an ancient custom to meet the spirits of ancestors and thank them by burning Gomagi to light a holy fire, and I believe it is a good, old Japanese culture," he continued
"In Tokyo, Obon is simply a time to return to our parent's home, but in Kyoto, the entire city holds this event as a way to send off the souls of returning ancestors, so I was surprised to see it being held on such a large scale," said Hiroshi Tanaka, a visitor from Tokyo.
During the week-long Obon celebration, it is believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors return to their living relatives. The Daimonji festival marks the end of this visit, guiding the spirits back to the heavens with ceremonial fires.
Five bonfires have been lit on the high mountains, to the north, east and west of the city. Three of these bonfires take the shape of Chinese characters, while the other two take the form of a shrine gate and a boat. The bonfires can be seen from nearly every part of the city.