Lighting a New Flame and Stepping Toward Spring Kodaira City – “Kodaira Shinmeigu Hoshi Festival”
Event Period:December (Winter Solstice)
Venue:1-2573 Ogawa-cho, Kodaira City, Tokyo
On the day of the winter solstice, the “Hoshi Festival” is held at Kodaira Shinmeigu Shrine. As winter reaches its peak and people become more susceptible to illness, a new fire is kindled, and participants warm themselves by the flame to dispel misfortune. This annual festival is held to pray for Ichiyō Raifuku—the return of positive energy and good fortune.
What is the “Kodaira Shinmeigu Hoshi Festival”?
In ancient China, it was believed that as the power of the sun weakened, ominous stars (magatsu-boshi) would bring about various calamities. To prevent such disasters, festivals were held in advance to pacify and appease these “heavenly ominous stars.”
From this tradition, Kodaira Shinmeigu refers to its fire ritual (ohitaki) as the “Hoshi Festival.”
After performing Shinto rites by passing through a large ring of miscanthus grass (chinowa) set up in the shrine grounds—led by Shinto priests—a new fire is kindled, followed by the ohitaki ritual. This fire is created using the same method as in prehistoric times, by rubbing pieces of wood together. When the new flame is born, it is transferred to a candle, carefully placed in a wooden box, and carried to light a ceremonial tower (yagura) within the shrine grounds.
Those who gather warm their hands or backs by the fire in their own way, purifying themselves of illness and negative energies and bringing the year to a close. As they sense the daylight gradually lengthening after the winter solstice, they pray for Ichiyō Raifuku—that the coming year will be a good one.
Kodaira Shinmeigu: A Spiritual Anchor During the Era of Land Development
Until the Edo period, Kodaira suffered from poor water access. With the establishment of the Edo Shogunate and the development of waterways such as the Tamagawa Aqueduct and the Nobidome Aqueduct, land reclamation became possible and the town began to flourish.
Kodaira Shinmeigu was established in 1661 (the first year of the Kanbun era) as a branch shrine of Azusami Tenjinsha, to serve as a guardian deity for people settling in this unfamiliar land. Within the shrine grounds stands the Ogawa Village Land Reclamation Monument, a designated cultural property of Kodaira City, engraved with the history of local development.
Every year, on the last Saturday and Sunday of April, the Yakumo Shrine Festival (Yakumo Matsuri) is held. Over two days, a large shrine palanquin (miya-mikoshi) carrying the sacred object is led by purification drums and paraded over a 14-kilometer route through the parishioners’ area, praying for protection from calamities and prosperity for each household.
It is said that this festival began when illness once spread among the parishioners, and the sacred object of Yakumo Ōkami was carried around the community in a mikoshi. Nine beautifully illuminated festival floats called mantō gather at the shrine, along with many food stalls run by local residents, filling the grounds with lively energy.
| Event Period | December (Winter Solstice) |
|---|---|
| Website | |
| Access | 18-minute walk from Higashiyamatoshi Station, Seibu Haijima Line |
| Discover more about the Tama region | https://at-tama.tokyo/lang_en/ Photos courtesy of Takako Shigegaki |
