Kurama no Hi Matsuri takes place on October 22 in the remote mountain village of Kurama, just north of Kyoto, and is regarded as one of Japan's most primal and electrifying nocturnal festivals. As darkness falls, residents line the village's single steep street bearing massive flaming pine torches, eventually carrying the portable shrine of Yuki Shrine through the smoke-filled lanes in a crescendo of chanting and drumming. The festival commemorates the transfer of the deity Yuki Myōjin to Kurama in 940 AD. Due to its intimate setting and raw atmosphere, it offers an experience utterly unlike the grand urban matsuri of central Kyoto.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- October 22
- Region
- Kansai
- Prefecture
- Kyoto
- City
- Kyoto (Kurama)
Highlights
- ◆Torchlit procession through a narrow mountain village street
- ◆Midnight portable shrine transfer ceremony
- ◆Raw, smoke-filled atmosphere unlike any urban festival
- ◆Commemorates a 940 AD divine enshrinement
- ◆Limited access creates an exclusive, immersive experience