Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火), more commonly known as Daimonji (大文字), is a festival in Kyoto, Japan. It is the culmination of the Obon festival on August 16, in which five giant bonfires are lit on mountains surrounding the city. It signifies the moment when the spirits of deceased family members, who are said to visit this world during Obon, are believed to be returning to the spirit world—thus the name Okuribi .
Daimonji
Hidari Daimonji without fire
Daimonji (大文字)
Hō (法)
Obon or just Bon is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon Odori.
A depiction of Obon in the late Edo period
Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi bonfire lit during the Obon festival
The shōryō uma (精霊馬, "spirit horse") or ushi uma (牛馬, "cow horse"), vegetable decorations made for O-bon.
Participants place candlelit lanterns in the Sasebo River during Obon.