Aosuge’s Little New Year event, entrusting wishes to 9 bamboo poles and their flames
Aosuge no Dondoree
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on January 14 / Every year
- Location
- The open space behind Shōnen-ji Temple (Dondoree Hiroba)
- Area
- Chiba Prefecture・Sakura City(From Tokyo: approx. 40 min–1 h · train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A Little New Year fire festival in Aosuge, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, said to have continued since the early Edo period. A Dondoree made with 9 upright bamboo poles is burned. Once the fire has died down, mochi is roasted as people pray for health and a good harvest in the coming year.
About Aosuge no Dondoree
Aosuge no Dondoree is a Little New Year fire festival held in Aosuge, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture.
New Year decorations, kadomatsu, and other items are gathered and burned, and people gather around a large fire with bamboo poles standing upright.
The event is said to have begun during the time of the Kawaguchi clan, a hatamoto family that governed the area in the early Edo period. Today, it continues as a local tradition involving both adults and children.
Source: 青菅の歴史 – 三門農園
Festival highlights
A highlight is when the Dondoree, made by standing 9 moso bamboo poles upright, is set alight and the flames leap high.
The central bamboo pole is called “Doshinboku,” and the direction in which it falls is used to predict the harvest in Aosuge and Senzaki.
There is also a custom of roasting mochi on a long bamboo pole or a forked chestnut branch once the fire has died down, offering a sense of the event’s distinctive link between fire and mochi.
Source: 2017年 青菅の｢どんどれえ｣ 子供たちが沢山参加していました。: まっくろクロスケ
Aosuge’s Little New Year event, entrusting wishes to 9 bamboo poles and their flames
What to expect
In preparation for the event, bamboo is set up at Dondoree Mound, and tree branches, New Year decorations, and other items are piled up.
The fire is lit in the evening, and mochi is roasted after the flames have died down.
Tradition associates eating the roasted mochi and placing a charred remnant at the entrance to one’s home with good health and protection from misfortune.
How to take part
It was once carried out mainly by boys, but today it continues as an event for the Aosuge area, with adults also taking part.
If you wish to watch, please respect that this is a local event and follow the guidance at the venue.
For the event, New Year's kadomatsu decorations and ropes are gathered and stacked high, and a mōsō bamboo stalk is erected as part of the preparations.
In the past, children were responsible for carrying the bamboo and piling up bundles of kudzu.
Source: 青菅の歴史 – 三門農園
Location and access
- Venue and address
The open space behind Shōnen-ji Temple (Aosuge, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture)
Source: 文化環境事業 - 青菅まちづくり協議会のご案内
Address Aosuge, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on January 14
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Chiba Prefecture / Sakura City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Nearby places are introduced where visitors can experience Aosuge’s history and nature.
Sakura Lavender Land is described as 780 meters east of Dondoree Mound, and lavender soft-serve ice cream is also featured.
Aosuge Otsuka Park is in 1-chome, Miyanodai, Sakura City. Visitors can enjoy its wooded areas, nuts, flowers, and other plants.
Source: 2026年 青菅どんどれえの「竹たて」: まっくろクロスケ / 青菅大塚公園(あおすげおおつかこうえん)／佐倉市｜佐倉で才能が開花する
DIC川村記念美術館
千葉県佐倉市にある私立美術館
国立歴史民俗博物館
千葉県佐倉市にある日本の歴史、民俗学、考古学について総合的に研究・展示する歴史博物館
麻賀多神社
千葉県佐倉市鏑木町にある神社
Origins and History of Aosuge no Dondoree
Dondoree is said to have begun during the time of the Kawaguchi clan, a hatamoto family that held Aosuge as a fief.
In its early days, households in the Kojinyaguchi area are said to have brought bundles of kudzu vines to fuel the fire. By the middle of the Meiji period, it had grown to a scale similar to today’s event as a children’s festival.
Records state that the event continued on a small scale during wartime and became popular again after the war.
Official information
Local cultural activities are introduced by the Aosuge Community Development Council.
The council’s cultural and environmental program features activities that involve walking through Aosuge and Senzaki to learn about their historic sites, culture, and customs.
You can also consult local materials documenting Aosuge’s history for information about the origins and customs of Dondoree.
Aosuge no Dondoree at a Glance
Aosuge no Dondoree is a traditional event in Aosuge, Sakura City, where New Year decorations and other items are burned on January 14, and the harvest is predicted by the direction in which the bamboo falls.
There is also a custom of roasting and eating mochi after the fire dies down, and wishes for good health and a plentiful harvest continue to be passed down.
The event is said to have begun in the early Edo period, and local adults and children continue to support it today.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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