Hiburi Kamakura

Hiburi Kamakura is a traditional Little New Year event handed down in the Kakunodate area of Senboku, Akita Prefecture. Held annually on February 13th and 14th, it is a spirited fire festival in which spinning flames color the winter night of Kakunodate, a town famous for its samurai-residence streetscape.

The defining feature of this event is the distinctive act of "swinging fire," as its name suggests. Participants vigorously whirl around their bodies a "ball of fire"—a charcoal straw bag tied to a rope and set alight. Amid the dark, snow-covered night, the sight of countless rings of fire spinning in circles is dreamlike and captivating. This fire-swinging carries prayers for good health, an abundant harvest, and the safety of the household.

Hiburi Kamakura is said to derive from a Little New Year rite of anticipatory celebration, driving away misfortune from the fields and praying for a good harvest that year. Customs also survive of piling up and burning the fire-ropes at the end, then roasting and eating dumplings over the flames, or burning one's New Year calligraphy. Coloring the harsh winter of the Tōhoku region, this fire festival is a precious Little New Year event of northern Japan, conveying the agricultural rituals and prayers rooted in the snow country of Kakunodate.