Fire Festival of Tejikarao Shrine
(Tejikara no Hi-matsuri)

the second Saturday of April (annual)
(Summer version is held on the 2nd Sunday of August)

Can you belive this?! Amazing ! Incredible!
They are in a cascade of sparks!




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young men drink sake
and prepare for the festival		 the triangles...goshintoh(lanterns)
simple poles...taki-hanabi
(lit. cascade fireworks)		 Kazari-mikoshi is coming fireworks Kazari-mikoshi suddenly
emit fire


small fire goes up the goshintoh
and sets off the cascade		 the goshintoh lanterns are
ignited one by one		 fire falls down young men carry mikoshi and rush into the fire cascade mikoshi also
shoots out fire



mikoshi they keep ringing bells and
move into the fire cascade		 the finale



"Tejikara no Himatsuri" (Fire Festival of Tejikarao Shrine), which has a history of more than 300 years,
is designated as the Important Prefectural Intangible Fork Cultural Asset in 1977.

The fire festival starts around 7:00 p.m.
As soon as the gohei-andon
(20 meters high gohei shaped lanterns with wooden frames, paper shades and fireworks)
are set off and sparkles fall like a cascade,
decorated portable shrines which are shouldered by shirtless men appear.
They dance and hit bells (pictured above) wildly in the sparkle shower.
Soon sparkles ignite the fireworks which are set on the portable shrines

Then approximately 700 men run around in the precincts holding
tezutsu-hanabi (large cylider-shaped fireworks)

It has been said that if all the lanterns are set off, they will have good harvest that year.
It is also said that the men who get the sparkle showers will have good health all the year round.



schedule (fluid)
2nd Saturday of April
.
10:30 a.m. Shinto ritual starts
2:00 p.m. Nagamochi (offering) congregate in front of the red shrine gate.
2:30 p.m. Nagamochi start to enter the precincts.
6:45 p.m. All the decorated portable shrines (portable shrine with fireworks) finish entry to the precincts..
6:50 p.m. The Gohei Andon ( lanterns ) is lit.
7:25 p.m. A firework cascade is set off. Decorated portable shrines join.
8:30 p.m. Fireworks are lit.
8:35 p.m. Handheld fireworks are lit.
8:55 p.m. The set fireworks and Yamayaki fireworks are lit.
9:00 p.m. Fireworks offering finishes
. .


access
Take Meitetsu line bound for Gifu.
Change the line at Meitetsu Gifu station to the Meitetsu Kagamigahara line
Get off at Tejikara station and walk 5 minutes to the South.


Tejikarao Shrine
6-8 Kuramae, Gifu City
TEL: 058-245-7164




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