Daimonji2005.mov (3.1 MB QT mov)
A short, handheld shot of crowd by the river at demachiyanagi and then the big kanji 「大ã€� “dai” 　being lit up. 大文å—五山é€�ã‚Šç�«ã€€Daimonji Gozan Okuribi is the official name of this festival dating from at least the 1600s, and the three strokes in order are about 80, 160, and 120 meters long.
0 comments
Kuri says:
Aug 17, 2005
But did they get the stroke order right? It would have been fun pointing out a stroke order mistake.
Jerry says:
Aug 18, 2005
It remains one of my secret aspirations to sneak up there one August night and light an extra fire in the upper right quadrant. It would be awesome to see 犬 burning bright for all to see.
Oh, and I have to say that the steps that run down the right leg of the main 大 are difficult to hike down in size 12 shoes.
David says:
Aug 18, 2005
What does Daimonji Gozan Okuribi , acually mean? I know gozan means “five hills” , what does rest mean?
nils says:
Aug 19, 2005
If they soaked the logs in shochu instead of starting the fires with kindling, they could do that stroke order thing; that would be something.
Jerry, some secret desires are best kept to yourself.
David, Dai-mon-ji (the first three characters) means big character(s), then as you note, 5 mountains, then okuri-bi, sending off fires.
(feel free to add to this, anyone)
The fires symbolically mark the end of the o-Bon summer holiday, basically an ancestor-worship rite. Japanese folk tradition has it that spirits of deceased ancestors never really go away, they reside in the mountains (graveyards are often on mountainsides). The spirits come down and visit their relatives during o-bon, and the fires are a kind of tribute to them and light their way back to the mountains, sending them off with an honor.
However, the festival is hardly the genteel and solemn affair it must have been in older times. Kyoto is thronged with tourists for the spectacle, and as you can see from my video, jostling in the best viewing spots is common. Watching from a restaurant roof, as we did a few years ago, is more enjoyable than the riverbank tussle.