19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Faith in fire

Narazawa Daitengu Fire Festival which has a history of more than 300 years, held every Saturday and Sunday in mid-September in a village in Narazawa, Iiyama City. "Naginata no Mai", in which four boys in the third and fourth grades of elementary school dance, and "Tengu no Mai," in which Hataki Tengu and Bow Tengu dance, were performed in the festival. We saw a brave dance that swung a thick torch of 2m50cm. People were sitting close to the tengu and watching the dance, probably because it was said that it would be good to hit the sparks of the torch that the daitengu shook. We felt the supernatural spirit and the faith of the ancient people in the flames.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2019
Date Uploaded: 09.2021
Photo Location: Iiyama City, Japan
Copyright: © Hidetoshi Ogata