murmurOtebi Fire Ritual at Nunakuma Shrine
Fukuyama City · Nunakuma Shrine, Tomo
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hiroshima Tourism Association (Dive! Hiroshima) · Last checked: Oct 10, 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 July
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Listed by the prefectural tourism site as the second Sunday of July; check with the shrine
- Venue
- Nunakuma Shrine, Tomo
- City
- Fukuyama City, Hiroshima
About
In July, Nunakuma Shrine in Tomo, Fukuyama, holds the Otebi Shinji, a fire ritual listed as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Fukuyama City. The centerpiece is the otebi, a burning load of about 150 kilograms that teams of bearers hoist onto their shoulders and carry toward the worship hall. Sparks rain down on them the whole way, which is why the event is promoted as a hot festival where you get showered in embers. It's a chance to feel the heat and the bearers' determination up close in the old port town. The shrine is in Tomo-cho Ushiroji: take the Tomotetsu bus Tomo Line from the south exit of JR Fukuyama Station, get off at Tomonoura, and walk about ten minutes.
Sources
- OfficialHiroshima Tourism Association (Dive! Hiroshima) dive-hiroshima.com
Last checked: Oct 10, 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.