The Nagare Kanjo Ceremony is held every year on August 18th by the Nobeoka City Buddhist Association and is a summer tradition that has been passed down since the Edo period in Nobeoka, a city known as a "water town." It is said to have originally begun as a memorial for the souls of victims of floods and drowning accidents.
The sight of the lanterns illuminating the river as they float by is fantastical, and visitors join their hands in prayer as they watch the slowly floating lanterns, praying for the repose of the souls of their deceased loved ones and seeing off the spirits of their ancestors.