murmurShujo Onie Fire Festival at Tennen-ji Temple
Bungotakada City · Tennen-ji Temple, Nagaiwaya
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tourism Oita (Oita Prefecture official tourism site) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Mon, Feb 23, 2026 （Ended） Around 15:00 to 23:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid February
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on the 7th day of the first month of the lunar calendar
- Venue
- Tennen-ji Temple, Nagaiwaya
- City
- Bungotakada City, Oita
About
During the lunar New Year season, Tennen-ji Temple in Bungotakada stages Shujo Onie, the signature ritual of the Rokugo Manzan Buddhist tradition. Here demons are not chased out; they are welcomed as forms taken by the Buddha. Inside the hall, a red demon and a black demon whirl about with blazing torches, praying for health and good harvests, and they even strike worshippers on the back and shoulders with the flames, which is unforgettable at close range. Only three temples still hold the rite in its old form and scale: Tennen-ji, plus Jobutsu-ji and Iwato-ji in Kunisaki, which alternate year by year. It is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Sources
- OfficialTourism Oita (Oita Prefecture official tourism site) www.visit-oita.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.