murmurHinokami Fire Festival at Chikatsu Kashima Shrine
Kumamoto City · Chikatsu Kashima Shrine, Matsuo-machi, Nishi Ward
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kumamoto City · 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 October
- How the date is set
- Every year on October 14
- Venue
- Chikatsu Kashima Shrine, Matsuo-machi, Nishi Ward
- City
- Kumamoto City, Kumamoto
About
Every October 14, residents of Chikatsu in western Kumamoto City stage a daring fire festival at Chikatsu Kashima Shrine, dividing into attackers and defenders who throw burning branches at each other. According to local lore, pirates once raided Chikatsu in the Heian period and were driven off by villagers hurling flaming branches, and the festival began as a way to remember that and to pray for lasting fortune in battle. Born of Chikatsu's particular setting, it has been carefully carried on by a preservation society and the community. Kumamoto City recognized it as a local cultural property in 2022 and lists it among the historic landscapes its preservation plan aims to protect and nurture. The city has also released a documentary video covering everything from preparations to clean-up.
Sources
- OfficialKumamoto City www.city.kumamoto.jp
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.