Tengu's Walk on Fire: The Furubira Fire Festival

Chetna Sharma, the author of this article, shares her experience of the Furubira Fire Festival.

Tengu’s Walk on Fire

Furubira is a place close to my heart. I have visited several times, and each visit is a new immersion into Japanese culture. Furubira is a small town in western Hokkaido, Japan. The simplicity of the people, humble landscapes, cleanliness, and purity of the atmosphere are truly satisfying.

Every summer, I look forward to an invitation from my host family to visit Furubira. My host family is led by a 70-year-old lady—my Japanese Mom—who is incredibly hardworking and accomplished. She heads the Furubira International Exchange Association, which hosts homestays for students. That is how I first came to Furubira.

In July 2018, on the second weekend, I was in Furubira. It was a rainy day, and my Japanese mom set up a Teru teru bōzu and prayed for good weather in the evening. The plan was to eat an early dinner and go see the Furubira Fire Festival.

We thought we had arrived early, but still had to hustle for parking and a spot to set up my camera. Hundreds of people were already waiting for the festival to begin. The fire festival is the dramatic sequel to the Mikoshi parade.

Mikoshi are portable shrines carried on the shoulders of many volunteers. Furubira has two shrines: Shinpei Shrine and Ebisu Shrine. The summer festival is held at Shinpei Shrine. The deities are invited into the Mikoshi and paraded around the town. These Mikoshi are mostly golden, decorated with glittering strings and lanterns, and are heavy—shouldered by 10 or more volunteers. The sound of drums, flutes, and rattles fills the air. People gather to enjoy the festivities and offer prayers. Small stalls are set up by volunteers and for volunteers to enjoy snacks or drinks while working hard. After a day-long parade in different parts of the town, the Mikoshi return to the shrine. They need to be cleansed in fire before re-entering the shrine.

A Tengu, a legendary figure in Japan, marches ahead of the parade. Tengu get dressed in peculiar costumes, high-heeled Japanese slippers, and have a red face and a high nose. The volunteer who plays the role of Tengu has to practice hard and is highly respected. Tengu are believed to be protectors and are worshipped as Kami—which translates to gods or holy spirits. The Tengu leads the parade and is the first to cleanse himself in fire before re-entering the shrine.

As night falls, the festivities begin. The drums, flutes, and rattles chime in. At first, a fire is stirred to a height of three meters. The Tengu walks through it three times, each time to loud cheers. Following him, a dragon with a lion’s face walks through the fire, also three times. Then, the volunteers carrying the shrine—nearly 10 of them—walk through the flames three times. Each time, the fire is stirred to make it touch the sky. I was shocked and awed to see their fearlessness, especially since they are not trained to do such stunts. It all happens in the spur of the moment. It is something I cannot put into words. You need to see it for yourself. Check out the video below.

This festival is observed twice a year: at Shinpei Shrine every summer on the second weekend of July, and at Ebisu Shrine every autumn on the second weekend of September.

How to Get There

You can ride a bus to Furubira Hamacho. There are two buses a day from Sapporo Terminal: one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Alternatively, you can go to Yoichi or Otaru by train and then board a bus. Check the latest schedules for bus timings. There is no bus to return to Sapporo after the Fire Festival, so I suggest camping at Furubira. One campsite I recommend is Kazokuryokoumura, which you can reach by taxi.

For more information on Furubira, refer to the official town website.