Torch throwing, to light the straw in the basket atop the central pole
The Nanbu Fire Festival is an event held in Nanbu, Yamanashi prefecture every summer to celebrate the Bon festival. It takes place in the riverbed of the Fuji River. The festival was featured in Both of Us, Back in the Day (Heya CampΔ, Episode 6).
There are several elements of the fire festival.
- Torch throwing – Participants, typically local children, swing a flaming torch, and throw it up at a bundle of straw that is up on a tall pole.
- Water lanterns (灯籠流し) – Release of water lanterns down the river to guide the spirits of departed ancestors
- Akira Omatsu (大松明) – Lighting of a large bonfire accompanied by chanting of sutras
- Hyakuhatai (百八たい) - Lighting of 108 bonfires along the river’s edge, symbolic of Buddhism’s elimination of earthly desires. The fires are simultaneously ignited at 8 pm.
- Traditional fireworks launched into in the sky
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Aoi swings a torch
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Note that Nanbu (南部) translates to English as "Southern Part", so Google Translate will often replace the city name with "Southern".
南部の火祭り (Nanbu Fire Festival)
Bon Festival
Water Lantern
- Nanbu Fire Festival on Nanbu town (Yamanashi) tourism website