murmurKurama Fire Festival
Kyoto City · Yuki Shrine and the village of Kurama
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yuki Shrine · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Thu, Oct 22, 2026 From 18:00 until after 24:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late October
- How the date is set
- Every year on October 22
- Venue
- Yuki Shrine and the village of Kurama
- City
- Kyoto City, Kyoto
About
The annual festival of Yuki Shrine in Kurama, held every October 22, is counted among Kyoto's three most unusual festivals. It is said to recreate the torch-lit procession that brought the shrine's deity here from the Imperial Palace in 940. At 6 p.m., on the call to the rite, the stacked bonfires in front of the houses are lit all at once. Children shoulder small torches, then young men join with huge blazing ones, chanting "Sairei, sairyo" as they parade. Once the steps below the temple gate are packed with young men holding giant torches, a sacred rope is cut and two portable shrines make their way down the approach and through the village. From 3 p.m. on the day, private vehicles are barred between Kibuneguchi and Kurama Onsen and all parking is closed, so come by public transport.
Sources
- OfficialYuki Shrine www.yukijinjya.jp
- 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.