Bon prayers passed down through chanting dances and the flames of the hashiramatsu
Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on August 14 and the 15th / Every year
- Location
- Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City
- Area
- Mie Prefecture・Toba City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train + connecting 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
A traditional Bon event passed down in Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City, combining Buddhist chanting dances with the flames of the hashiramatsu.
About Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance
The Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance is a Bon event comprising Nenbutsu-ire on August 14 and the Hibashira Matsuri on the 15th.
Centered around the youth groups, the event features Buddhist chanting dances, musical performances, and offerings at graves.
An Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property passed down through the community in Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the Hibashira Matsuri, when hand-held torches are thrown up to ignite a hashiramatsu about 10 meters tall late at night.
It is said that the way the hashiramatsu burns and falls is used to divine good or ill fortune, and this distinctive fire custom has been passed down through generations.
On the 14th, Buddhist chanting dances accompanied by bells, drums, kakko drums, conch shells, and transverse flutes travel through the town.
Bon prayers passed down through chanting dances and the flames of the hashiramatsu
What to expect
From the evening of the 14th, youth groups play bells, drums, and other instruments as they make a circuit of the town’s main routes, repeating a dance known as “Nenbutsu.”
On the 15th, Buddhist chants are performed at the graves of families observing their first Bon since a bereavement; afterward, everyone dances in a circle at the festival grounds.
Late at night, hand-held torches are thrown up at the hashiramatsu to set it alight, and the event continues until the structure burns and falls.
Location and access
- Venue and address
It is held in Matsuo-cho and Kawachi-cho, Toba City.
Locations vary depending on the event, including within the neighborhoods and at festival grounds.
Address Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City, Mie Prefecture
Dates and season
The annual events take place over 2 days: August 14 and the 15th.
On the 14th, Nembutsu-ire is held from dusk onward, and on the 15th, Hibashira Matsuri takes place late at night.
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 Mie Prefecture / Toba City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
菅島灯台
三重県鳥羽市にある灯台
鳥羽市立海の博物館
三重県鳥羽市にある博物館
鳥羽水族館
三重県鳥羽市にある水族館
Origins and History of Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance
It is said that until the beginning of the Meiji period, Funatsu, Kawachi, Iwakura, Matsuo, and Shiraki jointly held the Hibashira Matsuri in the Kamo Five Villages.
After cemeteries were dispersed among the villages during the Meiji period, the observances also split up. Today, the hashiramatsu ritual continues in the 2 districts of Matsuo and Kawachi.
Old customs recorded in Kansei 6 (1794) have been passed down in Matsuo and Kawachi.
Official information
The Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance is listed as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in the Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties and Other Properties.
The Toba City website identifies its location as Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City, and provides information about the event’s components and how it is passed down in the community.
Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance at a Glance
The Shima Kamo Five Villages Bon Festival observance is a traditional Bon event passed down in Matsuo and Kawachi, Toba City.
Participants make their way through the area with Buddhist chanting dances and musical performances, then throw hand-held torches at the hashiramatsu late at night to light it.
Its distinctive features include customs for honoring the spirits of those who have died since the previous Bon and organization based on the community’s age hierarchy.
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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