Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival This festival takes place in August in Mie Town, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. Organized mainly by local residents, it is not large in scale but offers a warm, heartfelt atmosphere. The festival begins with Shinto and Buddhist rites. According to legend, the Sugao cliff-carved Buddha statues were carved by an oni (demon), and to thank the oni everyone invites an oni to appear at the festival, where the organizers present it with a letter of appreciation. In the rooster-crowing imitation contest inspired by the legend, participants perform their own impersonations of a rooster’s crow, filling the venue with smiles. On stage, the vigorous drumming of Toyukai and traditional kagura dances take place. In the latter half of the festival, a torch-throwing ritual called 松明投げ (taimatsu-nage) lights a roughly 3-meter-tall pillar pine by tossing burning torches up into it from below, and many children take on the challenge. ■■■ What the Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival Is Local residents hold the festival to revitalize the area and raise awareness of the Sugao cliff-carved Buddhas. The rooster-crowing imitation contest stems from a local legend. In the tale, an oni that settled in the area caused trouble and demanded, “Give me the village maiden as my bride!” The troubled village headman consulted a monk, who told the oni, “If you carve five stone Buddhas into the cliff in one night, you may take the girl as your bride; if you fail, leave the village.” Worried villagers checked at night and found the oni carving the fifth statue. They had the village’s rooster imitation expert mimic a rooster’s crow, tricking the oni into thinking morning had arrived, whereupon it fled.