murmurTakigi Ono Firelight Noh (Kasuga Taisha and Kofuku-ji)
Nara City · Kasuga Taisha Shrine and the Great South Gate site of Kofuku-ji Temple
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nara City Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 15–16, 2026 （Ended） Kasuga Taisha from 11:00; Kofuku-ji from 17:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid May
- How the date is set
- The 3rd Friday of May Two days: the third Friday of May and the following Saturday
- Venue
- Kasuga Taisha Shrine and the Great South Gate site of Kofuku-ji Temple
- City
- Nara City, Nara
About
Over 2 days, the third Friday and Saturday of May, two World Heritage sites, Kasuga Taisha and Kofukuji, host Takigi Ono, the firelit Noh said to be the model for takigi Noh across Japan. By day the stage is Kasuga Taisha's dance pavilion and Wakamiya shrine; toward evening it moves to the site of Kofukuji's Great South Gate, where the four Noh schools of Kanze, Konparu, Hosho and Kongo perform, with Okura-school kyogen as well. Before the program at Kofukuji, warrior-monks inspect the stage in the old manner, and firewood is kindled with flame received from the temple's altar. Its roots are the firelit sarugaku at Kofukuji's Saikondo Shuni-e in 869, and in 1990 it became a Nara City intangible folk cultural property. Paid supporter seats can be bought on the day, and there is a free standing area at the back at Kofukuji.
Sources
- OfficialNara City Tourism Association narashikanko.or.jp
- OfficialNara City Tourism Association narashikanko.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.
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.