Dates: October 22nd (held even in rain)
Place: Yuki-jinja Shrine and the town of Kurama
City: 1073, Kurama-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
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This festival held at Yuki-jinja Shrine is said to mark the establishment of a god at Yuki Shrine to protect the Buddhist Kurama temple. At 6 o’clock in the evening, fires called kagaribi are ignited all at once in front of the houses, and children and grown-ups holding up small and large taimatsu (pine torches) parade all night long announcing in loud voices the arrival of the festival to the backbeat of the taiko drums. The main features of this festival are the 3 metre tall watch fires placed here and there along the streets, and the pine torches which total more than 250. At 8 o’clock in the evening, people gather at the gateway of Kurama-dera Temple and pay a visit of worship to the Yuki Shrine. Later, two mikoshi (portable shrines) are carried on the shoulders of youths and paraded through the town streets, bringing the festival to its climax. Every year, the festival ends a little past midnight.
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