Osaki Hachimangu Matsutaki Matsuri (Donto-sai Fire Festival)

About

On the night of January 14, Osaki Hachimangu Shrine in Sendai sends off the New Year with the Matsutaki Matsuri, a tradition some 300 years old that is counted among the largest New Year send-off rites in Japan. Pine decorations, sacred straw ropes and old talismans brought in from the surrounding area are piled up and set alight with a sacred flame around sunset. The fire is believed to send home the deities who visited each household over the New Year, and standing in its warmth is said to purify body and mind and bring a year of good health. The other spectacle is the hadaka-mairi, or 'naked pilgrimage': thousands of people wearing white headbands and white cotton wraps, with a slip of paper held in the mouth to keep silent, a bell in the right hand and a paper lantern in the left, walk to the shrine from all over Sendai through the winter cold. The custom is said to have started with sake brewers praying for a safe brewing season, and it is designated an intangible folk cultural property by the city.

Sources

• OfficialOsaki Hachimangu Shrine www.oosaki-hachiman.or.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.

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