Oike no Hyakuhatto

Festival highlights

Highlights include straw towers set about 2 meters apart along the old road, with each one lit in turn.

The final light among the 108 is used to set alight a larger tower, creating a view of towers in different sizes lined up together.

As dusk gives way to night, the flames appear against the nightscape around Obasute—another distinctive feature of the event.

Because it is dangerous near the fire, visitors are also advised to watch from Oike Community Center.

108 flames atop straw towers: lights of remembrance carried on beneath the Obasute night sky

What to expect

For the event, local children visit homes to collect straw, which they use to build 108 towers.

The towers are lined up along the main road and lit in sequence, starting from the top.

Finally, a tower larger than the others is also set alight, and the 108 lights honor Komatsu-hime.

Preparations through to the lighting are carried out locally, with the Oike District Youth Association taking the lead.

How to take part

Visitors can watch the event.

Location and access

Venue and address

千曲市大字八幡 大池地区／見学場所：大池公民館（長野県千曲市八幡7940-1）

Parking

Parking for a few cars is available on the grounds of Oike Community Center.

Event venue 長野県千曲市 千曲市大字八幡 大池地区

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

Dates and season

Season

Annually, August 16

Frequency

Once a year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

As there is a risk of burns or fire, do not approach the lights; watch from Oike Community Center or another designated location.

Parking for a few cars is said to be available on the grounds of Oike Community Center.

Nearby attractions

Museums and art museumsChikuma City

長野県立歴史館

長野県千曲市にある博物館

Visit the official page ↗ⓘ Photo and data sources

Photo and data sources×

写真：アラツク / CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo source ·

Facility data source

Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Oike no Hyakuhatto

Oikeshinden Village is said to have been land granted to Komatsu-hime as a dowry in Tensho 14 (1586; accounts vary).

Komatsu-hime died suddenly in Genna 6 (1620). After Oikeshinden Village became the territory of Daieiji Temple following Nobuyuki Sanada’s transfer to Matsushiro in Genna 8 (1622), lights of remembrance are said to have begun around the following year.

Since then, the event has been carried on as a tradition of lighting 108 lights along the main road at dusk on the lunar-calendar August 16, and was designated a Chikuma City Intangible Folk Cultural Property in Heisei 27 (2015).

Official information

Chikuma City lists “Oike no Hyakuhatto” as a city-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

Information from the Shinshu Chikuma Tourism Bureau covers the event’s origins, how the towers are made and lit, and precautions for visitors.

Oike no Hyakuhatto at a Glance

Oike no Hyakuhatto is a traditional event held in the Oike district of Yawata, Chikuma City, where 108 straw towers are lit to honor Komatsu-hime.

Local children gather straw, and with the Oike District Youth Association taking the lead, build towers, line them up along the main road, and set them alight.

The flames can be viewed alongside the nightscape around Obasute, but the area near the fire is dangerous, so visitors are directed to watch from Oike Community Center.

It is a Chikuma City-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.