A torch-throwing fire festival passed down through generations beneath So’o’s night sky
Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year on August 15, the 19th, and the 23rd / Every year
- Area
- Yamaguchi Prefecture・Iwakuni City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 35 min–1 h 55 min · flight time only)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 fire festival of hashiramatsu and torches passed down in Nakamura, Yamada, and Ochiai in So’o, Shuto-cho, Iwakuni City. In this bold spectacle, people throw flaming torches toward the top of a tall pillar and compete to set it alight.
About Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival
The Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival is a summer fire festival passed down in the three districts of Nakamura, Yamada, and Ochiai in So’o, Shuto-cho, Iwakuni City.
A tall hashiramatsu is erected, and people compete to light it by throwing torches into the brazier at the top.
It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. While dates and details vary by district, all share prayers for the repose of cattle and horses, protection from calamity, bountiful harvests, and household safety.
Source: 山口県/観光スポーツ文化部文化振興課/文化財・山口県の文化財
Festival highlights
One highlight is the sight of flaming torches being thrown toward a hashiramatsu around 20 meters tall.
When the torch lands in the brazier and the fire catches on the hashiramatsu, flames leap into the night sky and sparks shower down.
After the pillar is successfully lit, participants all throw their torches at once, and the event concludes with Shagiri, a drum performance featuring distinctive stickwork.
Source: 周防祖生の柱松｜イベント｜【公式】山口県観光/旅行サイト おいでませ山口へ / 国指定文化財等データベース
A torch-throwing fire festival passed down through generations beneath So’o’s night sky
What to expect
Preparations include drying leaves of paulownia and bush clover, making guy ropes from wisteria vines, and bundling pine logs to assemble the hashiramatsu.
On the day, the brazier and central timber are finished, and the hashiramatsu is erected after a purification ritual.
At night, a signal drum calls everyone together. Fire is transferred from the main flame to the torches, which are thrown toward the brazier at the top of the pillar. After it is lit, the event concludes with drums and welcoming fires.
Location and access
- Address
Iwakuni City
Host municipality 山口県岩国市
This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.
Dates and season
- Season
Every year on August 15, the 19th, and the 23rd
- Frequency
Every year
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 Yamaguchi Prefecture / Iwakuni City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As this event involves fire at night, please keep away from the hashiramatsu and torches and follow the instructions of local staff when watching.
As torches are thrown upward and flames flare, with sparks falling, it is important to watch from a safe distance.
The venue and arrangements for bad weather vary by district, so check the latest information before setting out.
Nearby attractions
吉川史料館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
岩国学校教育資料館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
岩国徴古館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
柏原美術館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
Origins and History of Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival
The origins of the hashiramatsu event are unclear. However, records kept at Shingu Shrine in So’o Nakamura state that in 1734, after many cattle and horses died, people prayed for relief and began the hashiramatsu tradition by erecting a tall votive light.
The tradition began as a prayer to ward off calamities and ensure a good harvest in the face of epidemics and natural threats. Over time, it also took on the character of divination for the coming year, votive lighting, and a Bon fire festival.
It was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1989.
Official information
The Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival is recorded as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The So’o Hashiramatsu Festival Preservation Society and the preservation societies of Nakamura, Yamada, and Ochiai are its protecting organizations.
Yamaguchi Prefecture’s cultural heritage guide also introduces it as an event held in three districts of So’o, Shuto-cho, Iwakuni City.
For more details about its origins and practices as cultural heritage, the national database of designated cultural properties and Yamaguchi Prefecture’s cultural heritage guide are useful resources.
Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival at a Glance
The Suo So’o Hashiramatsu Festival is a fire festival designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and passed down in three districts of So’o, Iwakuni City.
This distinctive practice of throwing flaming torches at a tall hashiramatsu and competing to light it embodies prayers for protection from calamity, good harvests, and household safety.
The preservation societies in each district continue to safeguard a tradition linked to records from 1734.
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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