Gozan no Okuribi

Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火), more commonly known as Daimonji (大文字), 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 (送り火, roughly, "send-off fire").

This article is about the festival. For the sumo wrestler, see Daimonji Kenji.
Daimonji
Hidari Daimonji without fire

History

The origins of the festival are obscure,[1] 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.

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 (大文字), the character meaning "large" or "great:"
    • on Daimonji-Yama/Higashi-Yama, Nyoigatake at 8:00PM
  • Myō/Hō (妙・法), the characters meaning "wondrous dharma" (referring to Buddhist teachings):
    • on Matsugasaki, Nishi-Yama/Higashi-Yama at 8:10PM
  • Funagata (舟形), the shape of a boat:
    • on Nishigamo, Funa-Yama at 8:15PM
  • Hidari Daimonji (左大文字), again, the character meaning "large:"
    • on Daihoku-San, Hidaridaimonji-San at 8:15PM
  • Toriigata (鳥居形), 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 (大), on Kyoto's Daimonji-yama (大文字山, 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.

The 2020 event was significantly scaled back, due to COVID-19, with only six points of "Daimonji" lit and one point lit at each of the other four locations.[2]

Viewing Spots

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. More specifically, the following spots are mentioned as good viewing spots:[3]

Area Location
Daimonji Kamogawa River banks between Marutamachi and Misono Bridges
Myoho Kitayama St. near Notre Dame Elementary School or Takano River banks around the north side of Takano Bridge
Funagata Kitayama St. (Toward northwest of Kitayama Ohashi Bridge)
Hidari Daimonji Nishioji St. between Shijo and the Kinkakuji area
Toriigata Around Matsuo Bridge or near Hirosawa Pond

Latitude and longitude

References
  1. "Gozan-no-Okuribi (Part 1)". Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  2. "五山の送り火、今年は「大」の字浮かばず　それでも歓声". 16 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. "Kyoto Recommends" (PDF). Kyoto City Tourism Association. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
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