Iwakura Fire Festival: The Divine Spirit Returns

Overview

At 3 a.m. on October 22, two large pine torches over 10m long are lit to signal the start of the fire festival at Iwakura Jinja. Long ago, it was believed that demons were contained by a huge boulder in the area, after which both the shrine and the area are named. In the late 1100's the shrine was built and the deity was transferred there, but it returns to the boulder on the day of the festival. Discover this 500-year-old festival through the preparations of the residents of Iwakura.