Japan Diaries: Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (Part Two)

Japan Diaries: Fire Festival (Dosojin Matsuri) at Nozawa Onsen Village, Japan on 15th January 2019. Photos taken by me and Hai with Canon D70 DSLR and Google Pixel 3XL.

Following up on Part One blog post of our trip to Nozawa Onsen where we witnessed the famous Fire Festival in January 2019, I am now going to talk about the main event - the 'fight re-enactment' and the burning down of the shaden (shrine).

After grabbing some dinner, we then went back to the clearing to patiently wait for it to begin. With thousands of villagers and tourists gathering at the site, the excitement was mounting. At nightfall, the group of 42 year old villagers, dressed in red, started to climb the ladder to sit at the top of shaden. The group of 25 year old villagers, dressed in blue gathered around at the bottom, holding onto ropes and they start drinking and carrying about.

A man dressed in orange at the bottom then starts yelling out, introducing himself and starts getting the villagers at the shaden to do so as well. Each man at the top stood up, drank some sake and introduced themselves proudly. Hai and I don't understand Japanese, but we could feel how wonderful and joyous this occasion was.

Soon, some villagers (dressed in orange/beige) started putting up more shrines, adorned with paper flags and flowers, and a chanting begins. A parade of traditional drums get bought out, a show starts and the chanting grows louder.

Then, the bonfires around the shaden are lit, and all the participating villagers sets their reed torches alight, and start charging at the men at the bottom, attempting to set the shaden on fire. The 25 year old men spends their time defending the shaden, getting covered in soot and ashes for at least an hour. They get hit in the face and upper body while holding onto the ropes.

Eventually the group at the top start throwing down more reed torches to the villagers so they can continue their fight. It was electrifying to watch. All the locals were chanting and the crowds gasped in laughter when the villagers got a good hit in. Sake was passed around and we got to drink merrily with the villagers.

After hours of this re-enactment, the men defending the shaden admit their 'defeat' and they start climbing down the ladder to clear the area. Then the villagers attacking the shaden take it seriously and finally light it on fire, throwing in all surrounding shrines as well. The fire is huge and you feel the heat from so far away; the smoke and ash reaching the skies. Everyone continues their deafening chants as they wish for luck and a prosperous year, celebrating another successful Fire Festival.

Hai and I left at around 11.30pm, covered in soot and ash as the shaden finally burnt to the ground. Our legs were so sore from standing all day. The next morning when I opened our hotel windows, something amazing happened. It was snowing!!! This is exactly what this village prayed for, and they got it. I was so happy for them. I am so happy I got to witness such a great event with Nozawa Onsen.

You can read more about Part One here.