murmurOshima Fire Festival
Tomioka City · Shiroyama hill, Oshima district, Tomioka
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tomioka City Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held during the Obon season in August, on the same night as the Tomioka Fireworks Festival
- Venue
- Shiroyama hill, Oshima district, Tomioka
- City
- Tomioka City, Gunma
About
During Obon, a character drawn in fire appears in the night over the Oshima district of Tomioka. The custom began as the Obon rite of 108 lights for welcoming and sending off ancestral spirits, and here it also became a way to share the villagers' hopes for the year with their ancestors. Legend dates it to the Wado era of the Nara period, when Hitsuji-dayu Munekatsu, a lord trusted by his people, lost his castle under suspicion of rebellion, and the villagers shaped a character with 108 fires to comfort his spirit and carry their own wishes. Residents pick a character fitting the year on the day itself, so guessing what will appear is half the fun. The Tomioka Fireworks Festival is held the same night.
Sources
- OfficialTomioka City Tourism Association www.tomioka-silk.jp
- OfficialTomioka City Tourism Association www.tomioka-silk.jp
- OfficialGunma Prefecture / Gunma Association of Tourism, Local Products & International Exchange gunma-kanko.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.