On the night of August 14, 2026, the traditional Obon event known as "Shiroya no Age-Taimatsu" (Shiroya Torch-Throwing Ritual) took place at Amabiki Shrine in Shiroya, Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture. Local young men boldly hurled flames, causing a massive torch to blaze against the summer night sky.
This fire festival, which boasts a history of 460 years, is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kyoto Prefecture. It is rooted in a legend about slaying a giant serpent and holds significance as a ritual for rain-making and as a send-off fire for ancestral spirits.
Early that morning, local residents assembled the 16-meter-tall giant torch by attaching a conical bundle of hemp stalks (*ogara*) to the tip of a log. Amidst intermittent heavy rain, twenty-six men—mostly locals aged 10 to 30—beat drums to rally one another. After purifying themselves in the nearby Takano River, they took turns hurling smaller torches into the massive structure.
Applause erupted from the spectators each time a torch ignited the structure. When the giant torch finally collapsed after about 30 minutes, a particularly loud cheer went up from the crowd.
