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Wakakusayama Yamayaki (mountain turf burning)
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Nara City
Nara Period Area

342 m above the sea, Wakakusayama is also called Mikasayama because it consists of a series of three round hills ("mikasa" means three hats). On January each year, burning of the turf which covers the hills begins at the signal of the shooting of fireworks (Yamayaki).
There are various theories about the origin of this event; for example, one suggests that the practice was initially started in order to resolve territorial disputes among the Kofukuji and Todaiji temples and the Kasuga Shrine and another that its purpose is to slay goblins living on the hills.


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