Walking on fire! (かまどじんじゃでひまつり)

On May 29^th, we visited a shrine named Kamado Jinja. Jinja is the word for a shrine in Japanese. The shrine is situated in a city named Dazaifu on Kyushu Island.

                

Kamado jinja is situated on a mountain named Mount Homan and requires one to climb several stairs in order to reach there. The path is located in the middle of the forest which brings the visitor closer not only to the God but also to the nature. Sunday, May 29^th was celebrated as the ‘Fire Festival’ or ‘Hi Matsuri’ in the shrine. Many people were dressed in traditional Japanese costumes and carried large conch shells. At the beginning of the festival, we witnessed a traditional musical performance within the shrine’s premise dedicated to the God or the Kami (Japanese name for the God) of the shrine. A woman dressed in Japanese traditional clothing played a string instrument named Biwa.

                                  

After the song, a group of people led by the heads of the shrine began a procession to the main site of the ritual performance. People were dressed in different colors of traditional clothing demarking the hierarchy amongst them. After offering their prayers to God they ignited the fire in a heap of leaves covering the woodblocks. They played traditional drums and chanted words that sounded like ritual ‘mantras’. Even though it was for the first time I was visiting the shrine and witnessing such a ritual, I could find similarities with ‘hawan’ rituals back home in India. What was smoke for some other people was a familiar ritual to me.

Many people wrote their wishes on the woodblocks and those wood pieces were offered to the fireplace by those performing rituals. After the rituals, people could walk barefoot on the burnt down hot coal as it is said to keep them away from bad luck. I too walked on it! It was one of the most exciting experiences I have had till now. We later received a slip stating that we successfully walked across the fire.  

Generally, in shrines, one can buy ‘omamori’ or the keychains/charms that are said to bring good luck in different areas of one’s life. I bought a daruma doll, which is a very famous cultural doll, inspired by a monk named Bodhisena. I also bought a seal marking my presence in the shrine. People usually collect these seals from various shrines they visit and paste them in a notebook that is specifically meant to collect seals. Rather than buying the notebook, I plan to frame the seal when I go back.

                                                  

The fire ritual was attended by not only the Japanese but also people from foreign lands. The shrine is famous for its association with a contemporary anime called ‘demon slayer’ (Kimetsu no Yaiba).  The writer of the show was born in Kyushu and the show’s storyline mentions Mount Homan which has made Kamado Jinja a tourist attraction since 2018.

It was a good trip that gave me lots of memories, an experience like never before, and a sneak peek into a well-preserved shrine that is beautifully located amidst the forest. I could witness the reverence that cultures like such carry towards natural elements, in this case, fire.