F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-143
fire
Tabanka Festival (Daihō Hachimangū Torch Festival)
タバンカ祭（大宝八幡宮松明祭）たばんかまつり（だいほうはちまんぐうたいまつまつり）
D A T E2026-09-05
A night fire festival at Daihō Hachimangū in Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki, transmitted for over 600 years. The shrine's official site describes it as 'a rite seen nowhere else in Japan but at this shrine.' White-clad parishioners whirl burning torches while violently striking tatami mats and pot lids onto the stone-paved approach and dashing across the grounds. The percussive 'tabanka' sound of those strikes gives the festival its name. Sparks scatter before the worship hall, and to be showered in them is said to bring freedom from illness.
N O P H O T O
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01Rare fire festival transmitted for over 600 years
- 02Tatami mats and pot lids slammed onto stone paving — the 'tabanka' sound
- 03White-clad parishioners whirling burning torches
- 04Shrine officially describes the rite as unique in Japan
- 05Being showered in sparks is said to bring health
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
R E F E R E N C E