Kodai Fire Festival

The Kodai Fire Festival takes place every year on August 14 in Ogata Town, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu.

This traditional event has been passed down since the Edo period.
Its origins are unclear, but it is said to have begun as a Bon memorial service, a ritual to drive away pests and pray for a bountiful rice harvest, or as a memorial for victims of an uprising that occurred during the Edo period.

On the day of the festival, local residents prepare small torches called kodai in the rice fields across the Ogata Plain, starting around Harajiri Falls.
At night, when about 10,000 kodai are lit all at once, their lights rise up from around Harajiri Falls across the Ogata Plain.
The scene is exceptionally dreamlike.

Some districts in Ogata Town create torii gates, stone bridges, and other features using kodai, creating a stunning competition of beauty.