[What is Kumano Shrine?]
In the year 716, the monk Shokaku came to this place from Mount Tamaki in Wakayama Prefecture while on a pilgrimage to various provinces, carrying a sacred mirror (a branch of the spirit of Kumano Gongen), and spent the night camping on Mount Susa. When he tried to leave in the morning, he found the sacred object so heavy that he could not stand up, so he built a shrine on the spot. Previously, the shrine had been located on the top of the mountain.
[The Brave Fire Festival "Setoki"]
"Toshichobi" is a fire festival held all over the country, and on the night of January 14th of the lunar calendar, a sacred fire is lit in a shrine on a large living tree arranged in a grid pattern. This sacred fire is used to burn away all evil spirits and to pray for good health and a bountiful harvest.
New Year's decorations and amulets are burned, and locals eat mochi (rice cakes) that are roasted on the tip of a bamboo stick, and it is said that being exposed to this fire will ensure easy childbirth and protect you from illness.
It is also said that if the Year-end Firewood remains unburned, it will mean a poor harvest this year, so it is burned all night long.
The sight of flames shooting up to a height of over 10 meters and sparks falling all around is spectacular.
Nowadays, it is held on the Saturday closest to January 14th on the lunar calendar.