Hiroi Mantobimatsuri

This traditional event in Hiroi, Hidaka-cho, Toyooka City, lights up a dark farm road with a line of flames to pray for community safety and a good harvest.

About Hiroi Mantobimatsuri

Hiroi Mantobimatsuri is a festival of fire held every year on August 24 in Hiroi, Hidaka-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture.

The event has been associated with prayers for protection from fire and pests, and for the repose of those who died of infectious diseases.

Lights are strung along the farm roads from the Hiroi district to the Arakawa district as prayers are offered for community safety and a good harvest.

Source: 広井の万灯火祭り - Wikipedia / わずか５分、暗闇に浮かぶ光一直線にほのかな明かりに豊作願う豊岡・日高｜但馬｜神戸新聞NEXT

Festival highlights

The highlight is a straight line of red flames appearing along a dark farm road.

Kakufu soaked in lamp oil are hung from wires and lit all at once at the signal of a drum.

About 150 kakufu burn along a stretch approximately 375 meters long, and the lights go out one by one over about 5 minutes.

A line of lights illuminating the farm road—a prayerful flame passed down in Hiroi

What to expect

On the day, preparations begin around 8 a.m., with decorations for the hall, torches, and kakufu. Wires are strung across the farm road by noon.

At night, men gather at the hall, light the torches, and make their way to the farm road.

Residents wait at designated intervals and set the kakufu alight all at once to the beat of the drums.

How to take part

Residents of the Hiroi district handle the festival preparations and lighting.

The article shows residents carrying torches and kakufu in a line toward the farm road and setting them alight.

Check with the organizers to find out whether general visitors can take part in the preparations or lighting.

Location and access

Venue and address: Along the farm roads from the Hiroi district to the Arakawa district (Hiroi, Hidaka-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture).

Address Hiroi, Hidaka-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture

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Dates and season

Season: Every year on August 24
Frequency: Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

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Tips for your visit

As this event involves fire, do not get too close to the lighting area or equipment on the farm road, and follow local instructions while watching.

The lights go out over about 5 minutes, so waiting near the farm road before they are lit makes it easier to watch them change.

The event takes place on a farm road at night, so watch your step.

Nearby attractions

Temples and shrinesToyooka City

出石神社

兵庫県豊岡市にある神社

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Photo and data sources

写真：Saigen Jiro / CC0

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Origins and History of Hiroi Mantobimatsuri

Hiroi Mantobimatsuri is recorded in at least the Sanpo Village Chronicle Manuscript, compiled in the first year of the Taisho era.

At the time, it was held on July 24, the festival day of Atago, and was described as “extremely beautiful.”

In the past, the event used thick “ōdai” made by mixing hemp stalks and bundles of straw, among other materials, as well as a format in which people held bamboo poles. The equipment and methods have since changed.