Gozan no Okuribi (great Bonfires)
	<-(92K)	On the evening of August 16 (the last day of the Buddhist Bon Festival), a huge bonfire is lit on the hillsides of five mountains to light the way back to the nether world for the souls of the dead who have temporarily come back to their earthly homes. Five bonfires are lit successively: in the shape of the Chinese characters "dai" (meaning "great") on Mt. Nyoigatake, and "myo ho" at Matsugasaki, in the shape of a ship on Mt. Myoken at Nishikamo, in the shape of an inverted character "dai" on Mt. Okitayama at Kinugasa and in the shape of a torii (Shinto shrine archway) at Saga Toriimoto. The red flames stand out in striking contrast to the night sky. It is said that this event began during the Heian Period (794-1192) and was revived by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa during the Muromachi Period (1450-1598).
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