"Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival" It is a Festival that will be Held in in Bungo-Ono City Mie in Kyushu and Oita Prefecture in August. It is a festival that is mainly Held in by local people, so it is not available on a large scale, but it is a heartwarming festival. At the beginning of the Festival, Shinto ritual Buddhist rituals are performed. Legend has it that the Sugao Magaibutsu Buddha was carved by a demon, and everyone wants to thank the demon, so at the Festival, the demon also appears and the organizer hands out a letter of appreciation. In the "Croaking Imitation Contest," which is named after the legend, participants perform their own imitations of the croaks of the crooks, and the venue is full of smiles. Stage Events include the magnificent Drums and Kagura dances of the Hoyu Society. In the second half of the Festival, many children take on the challenge of throwing a lit torch into a 3-meter-high pillar pine tree from below to ignite it. ■■■What is the Sugao Stone Buddha Fire Festival? Held in by local people to revitalize the region and let people know about Sugao Magaibutsu. The "Croaching Contest" is named after a local legend. Legend has it that a demon who lived in this area and misbehaved said, "Give me the daughter of the Village as my wife!", and when the troubled Village chief consulted the monk, the monk told the demon, "If you carve five stone Buddhas on the Quay in one night, I will give you my daughter as my wife, but if you can't, leave the village." It is said that when the worried Village went to see it in the middle of the night, the demon carved the fifth one, so when the Village mimic the croaking master of the chicken imitated it, the demon mistakenly thought that morning had come and ran away.