Sayama’s fire festival, passed down through Fujiko prayers and mulberry gomaki
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- It was held every year on August 21, but is no longer held. / This event was held every year. It is no longer held because the confraternity is inactive.
- Location
- Hirose Sengen (Fuji Sengen-gu)
- Area
- Saitama Prefecture・Sayama City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja is a traditional event in Sayama City, rooted in the worship of Mount Fuji and the region’s sericulture culture, in which gomaki have been burned at the Fujizuka.
About The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja is a fire ritual passed down through the Fujiko confraternity of Kamihirose, Sayama City, and Hirose Sengen Jinja.
Rooted in the worship of Mount Fuji, it was held at the Fujizuka within the .
The use of mulberry branches to make gomaki also reflects the area’s once-thriving sericulture.
The confraternity is inactive, and the event is no longer held.
Source: 広瀬浅間神社の火まつり 狭山市公式ウェブサイト
Festival highlights
A highlight is the lighting, in turn, of 2 gomaki of different sizes set up around the Fujizuka.
The smaller gomaki is about 2 meters tall, and the larger one is about 2.5 meters tall. They are made by bundling mulberry branches into a coil and binding them with thick straw rope.
Around the fire, members of the confraternity chant the Fuji Sutra. The ashes left after the fire burns out have traditionally been said to ward off fire-related disasters.
Sayama’s fire festival, passed down through Fujiko prayers and mulberry gomaki
What to expect
On the day of the event, members of the confraternity begin early in the morning by cleaning and cutting grass around the Fujizuka, then hang on the sacred tree and .
They offer branches and before the stone monument at the summit, and from the afternoon make gomaki from mulberry branches.
In the evening, they light the smaller gomaki first, followed by the larger one, and watch over the fire while chanting the Fuji Sutra.
How to take part
Preparations for the festival, making gomaki, and chanting sutras are activities carried out mainly by members of the confraternity.
No information is provided on whether general visitors may join in the work or chanting.
The confraternity is currently inactive, and the fire festival is no longer held, so anyone wishing to participate should check whether it will resume.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Hirose Sengen Jinja (Fuji Sengen-gu).
2-983 Kamihirose, Sayama City.
Address 2-983 Kamihirose, Sayama City
Dates and season
It was traditionally held on August 21, but is no longer held because the confraternity has been disbanded.
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 Saitama Prefecture / Sayama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The fire festival is an event in which gomaki are burned; when it was held in the past, the fire was lit in the evening.
If you plan to watch, take care not to get too close to the fire or the Fujizuka, and avoid disrupting the members of the confraternity as they carry out the event.
It is no longer held, so check whether it will resume before visiting.
Nearby attractions
Origins and History of The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja is said to have begun in the early Meiji period, modeled on the Chin-ka-sai held at Fuji Sengen Jinja in Fujiyoshida.
The shrine’s Fujizuka is thought to have been built by the local Fujiko confraternity around Man’en 1 (1860).
The Fujizuka served as a place from which to worship Mount Fuji from afar, and was revered as a place where local people could receive the same spiritual merit as if they had climbed the mountain.
In Heisei 9 (1997), it was designated an intangible folk cultural property by Sayama City.
Official information
The Sayama City official website introduces the origins, event details, traditional location, and cultural property designation of the fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja.
The venue is Hirose Sengen Jinja (Fuji Sengen-gu), located at 2-983 Kamihirose, Sayama City.
Information also notes that the confraternity is inactive and the event is no longer held.
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja at a Glance
The fire festival at Hirose Sengen Jinja was a traditional event rooted in the worship of the Fujiko confraternity and the Fujizuka, in which gomaki were burned as the Fuji Sutra was chanted.
The use of mulberry branches for the gomaki also reflects a connection to the region’s sericulture culture.
It is designated an intangible folk cultural property by Sayama City, but is no longer held because the confraternity is inactive.
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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