In 1988, Mount Tokachi erupted, prompting an evacuation in Biei. To pray for the town's prosperity and the volcano's dormancy, express gratitude for nature's blessings, and honor fire and water in accordance with Shinto tradition, the Nachi-Biei Fire Festival was born.
On festival night, around 40 men dressed in white robes, known as Seiko, parade through Biei’s night streets carrying 12 blazing pine torches (taimatsu) weighing over 40 kilograms each, ultimately offering the sacred fire to Biei Shrine. At the shrine, these 12 torches are dedicated to the main building, where additional flames are ignited to keep the sacred fire burning. Seeing this tradition up close is thrilling, consuming, and beautiful all at once.
Spending just a single day in Biei reveals how interconnected the community is with nature – how to coexist with it while recognizing its power – and this festival only underscores how vital that relationship remains.
