The foundations of three fire pits at Daimonji (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City), one of the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires to send off the spirits of deceased who have arrived during Obon, have collapsed. This was confirmed by the Daimonji Preservation Society. A 15-meter-long crack was also found in the ground, and the preservation society said that if the fire remains as it is, it will be impossible to light the fire, and plans to take emergency measures to ensure safety soon.
A person who came to hike discovered the fire on the morning of June 12, 2025, and the preservation society and civil engineering contractors confirmed it on June 19.
According to Hasegawa Hidefumi (80 years old), chairman of the preservation society, there are 75 fire pits at Daimonji, and at 8 pm on August 16th, the split wood for the fire pits will be lit all at once with a signal, making the "Dai" appear on the mountainside at night.
The three fire pits located on the south side of the first section, which is about 80 meters long, had collapsed. The soil under the foundation had been gouged out and collapsed, and a crack measuring 15 meters long and 0.3 meters wide had appeared in the ground. The area around the site has been cordoned off to ensure safety.
According to Director Hasegawa, the damage is thought to have been caused by the heavy rains on June 10th, and he said, "If it stays like this, we won't be able to ignite it for safety reasons. We will visit the site on June 23rd to discuss the matter with government officials and other relevant parties. First of all, we hope to carry out emergency measures so that we can have it ignited by summer."
