Kyoto’s Unique Obon Festival: Gozan Okuribi

A Japanese Way of Honoring and Releasing Lost Loved Ones Each Year

Here on Substack, I have written several posts about festivals in Japan and especially in Kyoto. While I have an interest in the significance of such festivals in Japanese culture, I am even more interested in what it means for everyday life.

Japan is a very complex and diverse country and my experience is not the only possible experience someone can have here. Also, there are probably people who do not appreciate the importance of culturally constructed collective events in Japan as much as I do.

However, everyone will agree that Obon is central to the Japanese way of life, especially in terms of intergenerational relationships. About it, you can read or re-read my previous post below.

What People in Japan Call Obon

Today, I would like to say a few words about what concludes the Obon period in Kyoto: Gozan Okuribi (五山送り火), which means “Five Mountain Bonfire.”

But first let me ask, have you ever heard of this event?

Before living in Japan, I had never heard of it, which is surprising when you know how important it is to the citizens of Kyoto. Kyoto is not just any place in Japan, it is the cultural core of what locals and foreigners seek in traditional Japanese culture.