Gozan no Okuribi

Daimonji Gozan Okuribi - Japan National Tourism Organization

src: www.jnto.go.jp

This article is about the festival Gozan no Okuribi. For the sumo wrestler, see Daimonji Kenji.

Gozan no Okuribi (?????), more commonly known as Daimonji (???), is a festival in Kyoto, Japan. It is the culmination of the Obon festival on August 16, in which five giant bonfires are lit on mountains surrounding the city. It signifies the moment when the spirits of deceased family members, who are said to visit this world during O-Bon, are believed to be returning to the spirit world--thus the name Okuribi (???, roughly, "send-off fire").

Video Gozan no Okuribi

History

The origins of the festival are obscure, but it is believed to be ancient. Specific families have the hereditary duty of organizing all the logistics of the bonfires, and they spend many hours annually providing volunteer labor to maintain this tradition.

Maps Gozan no Okuribi

Schedule

Starting at 8 PM, the giant bonfires are lit, each with a distinctive shape. Three of the fires form giant Chinese characters, and two form familiar shapes. The characters, their locations, meanings, and the lighting times are:

Daimonji (???), the character meaning "large" or "great:"
- on Daimonji-Yama/Higashi-Yama, Nyoigatake at 8:00PM
My?/H? (???), the characters meaning "wondrous dharma" (referring to Buddhist teachings):
- on Matsugasaki, Nishi-Yama/Higashi-Yama at 8:10PM
Funagata (??), the shape of a boat:
- on Nishigamo, Funa-Yama at 8:15PM
Hidari Daimonji (????), again, the character meaning "large:"
- on Daihoku-San, Hidaridaimonji-San at 8:15PM
Toriigata (???), the shape of a torii or shrine gate:
- on Toriimoto, Mandara-San at 8:20PM

The most famous--and the first to be lit--is the character dai (?), on Kyoto's Daimonji-yama (????, daimonjiyama). The other four fires are lit at five to ten-minute intervals, and by 8:30, all the characters can be seen. Each bonfire lasts for 30 minutes.

Festivals of Japan: Daimonji Yaki in Kyoto - GaijinPot

src: blog.gaijinpot.com

Viewing

The best place to view the festival is from the Nakagyo Ward, in the center of the city. Many hotels have Daimonji specials where, for a fee, you can see all five fires. Many people also like to go to the Kamo River, between Sanjo and Imadegawa Streets, for an excellent view of the initial fires.