murmurNasu Goshinka Fire Festival
Nasu Town · Nasu Onsen Shrine to Sessho-seki (Killing Stone)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tochigi Prefectural Tourism and Local Products Association (Tochigi Tabi Net) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, May 31, 2026 （Ended） Torch procession departs 19:00; sacred fire lit 19:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late May
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Cancelled in rain or stormy weather (final decision at 14:00 on the day)
- Venue
- Nasu Onsen Shrine to Sessho-seki (Killing Stone)
- City
- Nasu Town, Tochigi
About
Nasu-Yumoto Onsen keeps an old fire festival rooted in its volcanic landscape. Nasu lies on a large volcanic belt, and after eruptions long ago took many lives, villagers purified themselves and went to Nasu Onsen Shrine to soothe the mountain's wrath, coming to revere fire as a sacred flame. In time the custom settled into a prayer for rich harvests and good health. On festival night, people in white carry torches in a line from the shrine to Sessho-seki, the "Killing Stone" of the nine-tailed fox legend, and set a huge torch alight. In front of the roaring blaze, drummers perform the Hakumen Kinmo Kyubi-no-Kitsune taiko. Members of the public can join the torch procession, and a market and other events start in the afternoon.
Sources
- OfficialTochigi Prefectural Tourism and Local Products Association (Tochigi Tabi Net) www.tochigiji.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.