Matsuoka’s Onbashira Fire Festival: Legends Reflected in Flames
Matsuoka Onbashira Festival
The 2026 edition of Matsuoka Onbashira Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/04/12Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year
- Location
- Maruyama River riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine
- Area
- Hyogo Prefecture・Toyooka City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 40 min–3 h 10 min · bullet 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
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Matsuoka Onbashira Festival is a traditional fire festival held in Matsuoka, Hidaka Town, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. An Onbashira Pine bearing a straw effigy representing an old woman is burned on the Maruyama River riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine. This event offers a chance to experience the legend of Sachihime and the community’s prayers through the flames at dusk.
About Matsuoka Onbashira Festival
The Matsuoka Onbashira Festival is a fire festival passed down in Matsuoka, Hidaka Town, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. It is also known as the “Baba-yaki Festival.”
A pine pole is set up on a base made of bamboo and straw, with a straw effigy representing an old woman tied to it, and then set alight.
The legend of Sachihime and local beliefs aimed at calming floods and warding off disaster have become intertwined, and the festival continues as part of Matsuoka’s local culture.
In 1993, it was designated an intangible folk cultural property of the former Hidaka Town, and it is now a designated cultural property of Toyooka City.
Source: 松岡の御柱祭 - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
The highlight is the lighting of the Onbashira Pine on the riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine.
A fresh pine trunk forms the center, with a bowl-shaped base made of bamboo packed with rice straw and reeds. A straw effigy with an old woman’s face is tied to the top, facing the shrine.
When lit, the Onbashira Pine is engulfed in flames and burns away along with the straw effigy.
Held by the river at dusk, the festival brings together local legends and a fire ritual.
Source: 松岡区｜歴史サークルまほろば
Matsuoka’s Onbashira Fire Festival: Legends Reflected in Flames
What to expect
The festival begins by erecting a fresh pine trunk and making a bowl-shaped enclosure from items such as teppo bamboo, then packing it with rice straw and cut reeds.
A straw effigy with an old woman’s face is tied to the top of the bowl-shaped structure. In the evening, the district head sets it alight from the auspicious direction.
The basic sequence is to watch the Onbashira Pine go up in flames from the riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine.
Two of the four neighborhood associations take turns serving as the community’s organizers.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Held on the Maruyama River riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine.
Source: 祭り行事 | カテゴリ | 但馬の百科事典 | Page 2
Event venue 兵庫県豊岡市 十二所神社前の円山川河川敷
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
2026 Festival Information (the dates listed have passed)
In 2026, it was held on April 12 (Sun).
It had previously been held every year on April 14, but from 2026 it has been moved to the Sunday closest to April 14.
The main events take place in the evening.
Source: イベント | 豊岡市観光公式サイト
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 Hyogo Prefecture / Toyooka City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As this event involves fire, do not get too close to the Onbashira Pine, and follow the directions of staff and local guides.
Once lit, it is engulfed in flames and soon burns away, so arriving before the lighting is advisable if you want to secure a viewing spot.
As the event takes place on the riverbank in the evening, take care where you walk and stay alert to your surroundings.
Nearby attractions
出石神社
兵庫県豊岡市にある神社
Origins and History of Matsuoka Onbashira Festival
The festival’s origins are linked to the legend of Prince Masanari, who was exiled to Tajima after the Jōkyū War, and his wife Sachihime, who followed him.
It is said that Sachihime, who gave birth in Matsuoka, was told by an old woman that the journey to Takaya was much longer than it really was. In despair, she threw herself into the Maruyama River.
The festival is said to have begun when villagers, suffering from floods and illness, enshrined Sachihime to comfort her spirit.
It is also said that this fire festival, once held in several surrounding districts, has survived only in Matsuoka.
Official information
The official Toyooka City tourism website’s event listing gives April 12 (Sun) as the 2026 festival date.
The festival’s cultural background and events are also covered in Tajima encyclopedias and local history guides.
Matsuoka Onbashira Festival at a Glance
The Matsuoka Onbashira Festival is a fire festival that continues in Hidaka Town, Toyooka City, where an Onbashira Pine bearing a straw effigy is burned.
A major highlight is the Onbashira Pine being lit in the evening on the Maruyama River riverbank in front of Junisho Shrine.
This event is deeply connected to the legend of Sachihime and local beliefs aimed at appeasing spirits and warding off disaster.
In 2026, it was held on April 12 (Sun).
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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