murmurOhitaki Fire Ritual, Yutoku Inari Shrine
Kashima City · Yutoku Inari Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yutoku Inari Shrine · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early December
- How the date is set
- Every year on December 8
- Venue
- Yutoku Inari Shrine
- City
- Kashima City, Saga
About
On the night of December 8 each year, during its autumn grand festival, Yutoku Inari Shrine in Kashima holds this sacred fire rite to close out its year. Performed as part of the Niiname harvest festival night for more than 300 years, it draws large crowds from Kashima and beyond, who come for the solemn blaze and its blessings; getting close to the flames is believed to cleanse impurities. Watching is free. The fire was lit at 20:00 in 2025. Drive about 15 minutes from Hizen-Kashima Station or about 30 minutes from the Ureshino interchange. Car parks No. 1 to No. 4 are free, and the outer garden car park is free for the first 30 minutes.
Sources
- OfficialYutoku Inari Shrine www.yutokusan.jp
- OfficialSaga Prefectural Cultural Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) www.asobo-saga.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.
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.