Held every January 15th in the hot-spring village of Nozawa Onsen, the Dosojin Matsuri is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is listed among Japan's top three fire festivals. Men from the village born in their 25th and 42nd years (traditional yakudoshi ages) must defend a towering wooden structure, called the Miyaza, while other villagers attempt to set it ablaze with burning torches. The ritual reaches its climax late at night when the structure is finally ignited and engulfed in a massive bonfire, sending sparks into the cold January sky. The festival honours the Dosojin guardian deity of roads and children and ensures good fortune for the village.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Snow/Winter
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- January 15
- Region
- Chubu
- Prefecture
- Nagano
- City
- Nozawa Onsen
Highlights
- ◆Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property
- ◆One of Japan's three great fire festivals
- ◆Dramatic midnight bonfire ignition of the Miyaza structure
- ◆Ritualistic torch-rush by villagers through deep snow
- ◆Combined with skiing at Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort