murmurKyoto Gozan Okuribi (Five Mountain Bonfires)
Kyoto City · Mt. Nyoigatake (Daimonji) and four other mountains around Kyoto
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Aug 16, 2026 （Ended） Fires lit in turn from 20:00, starting with Daimonji (Torii-gata at 20:20)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid August
- How the date is set
- Every year on August 16 Lighting times may change depending on the weather
- Venue
- Mt. Nyoigatake (Daimonji) and four other mountains around Kyoto
- City
- Kyoto City, Kyoto
About
The Gozan Okuribi is a religious rite held during Obon to send off the spirits of the dead, and it marks the close of summer in Kyoto. At 8 p.m., as buildings across the city dim their lights, the character "dai" (great) is lit first on Mt. Nyoigatake in the east. Then, at five-minute intervals, fires appear on the surrounding hills: the characters "myo" and "ho" at Matsugasaki, a boat in Nishigamo, a second "dai" on Mt. Okitayama, and finally a torii gate in Saga. Each fire burns for about 30 minutes. All five are registered intangible folk cultural properties of Kyoto City. Areas along the Kamo River and the Kyoto Imperial Garden are good places to see Daimonji. Climbing the mountains is not allowed on the day. Beforehand, each mountain accepts gomagi, wooden sticks on which people write their names and wishes for good health, to be burned in the fires.
Sources
- OfficialKyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) ja.kyoto.travel
- OfficialKyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) ja.kyoto.travel
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.