Japan (Omihachiman) - Ancient Fire Festival and Last night in Shiga

Every year on April 14th, the shrine at the bottom of Hachiman Mountain here in Omihachiman is host to an ancient fire festival with a history stretching back over 1300 years. It is one of the largest of its kind. Giant taimatsu, columns of bamboo and reeds from the surrounding areas, are built/carried to Himurei Hachiman Shrine and then set ablaze.



It is truly amazing to experience first hand - the massive pillars of fire stretching into the night sky; the men clad in traditional hapi coats (some of them quite drunk off of sake) bearing torches and giant taiko drums mounted on palanquins. The beats from the drum saturate the smoke and fire filled darkness, and you not only hear it, you feel it, deep down in the seat of your belly.

Smoke, fire, darkness, drums. It doesn't get much more primal than this.



Despite having lived here in Omihachiman for two years and then living not too far away for the last three, this was my first time to check out the festival. What a wonderful way to say to goodbye to Omihachiman.