murmurYonekawa no Mizukaburi (Water-Splashing Fire Rite)
Tome City · Itsukamachi district, Yonekawa, Towa (Daijiji temple gate square)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tome City · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Feb 1, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early February
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on the first Day of the Horse in February
- Venue
- Itsukamachi district, Yonekawa, Towa (Daijiji temple gate square)
- City
- Tome City, Miyagi
About
In the Yonekawa area of Tome, men transform themselves into messengers of the gods in a time-honoured rite to ward off fire. Wearing sacred straw ropes and straw headgear, their faces daubed with soot, they run through the Itsukamachi district and hurl water from buckets that residents leave out by their doors onto the roofs of the houses, a spray of icy water in the middle of winter meant to keep the town safe from fire. Held on the first Day of the Horse in February, the rite has a long history and is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan as well as being inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The action centres on the square in front of the gate of Daijiji temple.
Sources
- OfficialTome City www.city.tome.miyagi.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.