Tondo Matsuri

January 10, 2025January 14, 2025 Paul Walsh 18452 Views New Year, Tondo, Winter

Ever wonder what everyone does with all those New Year arrows, rakes, daruma and that they buy at shrines every year?

Here in Hiroshima, after a year of luck-giving, they go up in flames on spectacular bonfires around the second weekend of January, at what is known as tondo.

If you visited any shrines over the New Year holiday, you probably noticed that people making their way to shrines for their hatsumode visit carrying the previous years decorative talismans and offerings. These are placed in large piles, cardboard boxes or skips within the shrine grounds before praying and buying the new year’s charms and votive goods. A couple of weeks after new year, at ko-shogatsu – literally “small new year”- which is celebrated at the lunar new year, they are blessed and burnt on bonfires that range from just over head-height to giant towers as high as a house.

Votive goods deposited before tondo festival

Tondo matsuri are held in the grounds of many of the larger shrines and in public spaces, such as school grounds and along Hiroshima’s wide river banks where the local community gather and roast mochi rice cakes and warm sake over the flames. Tondo is usually held on the 2nd or 3rd weekend of January, generally on the weekend closest to January 15.

Tondo bonfire being prepared along the Ota River

As mentioned above, the fires can be quite large and it is really quite a sight when the bamboo constructions packed with wooden and paper votive goods catch alight, and the crackling and popping sounds can be heard from quite far away. Although your clothes may smell of burnt offerings when you leave, remember the smoke is supposed to provide good luck. There are no fees to watch or take part in these events, but a donation to the shrine putting on the event is appreciated.

Some festival-goers bring their own mochi to roast, but you are likely to be given some to roast if you go there empty handed. Some shrines pass warm sake round, others offer zenzai sweet bean soup – a real treat with roasted mochi cakes on a cold, winter day.

Where to go

Here are some places where you can catch a tondo matsuri, without turning too many heads. The list is by no means exhaustive, and there are held in many shrines and other places, just follow the smoke!

Sorasaya-jinja Shrine, Hiroshima

January 12, 2025 from around 1pm

Not far from the Peace Park, across the river from the Family Pool, Sorasaya Shrine’s tondo in the park next to the shrine in Honkawa-cho has huge bonfire and is a family-friendly event where kids can play on the playground as well as watch the spectacle. In recent years the tondo festivak shrine coincides with a local farmers’ market so you can pick up some veggies, as well as some tasty coffee, while you are there!

See more photos from Sorasaya Shrine Tondo

Kintai Bridge, Iwakuni

January 13, 2025 13:00-15:30

Futaba-no-sato

Several tondo matsuri are held at the string of shrines, just north of Hiroshima Shinkansen Station. Always a nice walk, it can be fun to do a tour of the fires.

Tōshō-gū Shrine, Hiroshima

January 13, 2025 from 11:00 to 12:00

For such a large shrine, the bonfires Toshogu Shrine are rather small, but this makes them perfect for roasting mochi rice cakes!

Tsuruhane-jinja Shrine, Hiroshimao

January 13, 2025 from 11:00 to 12:00

Nigitsu-jinja Shrine, Hiroshima
Not open to outsiders in 2025

January 14, 2025 from 18:30

Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima

January 14, 2024 from 15:00

For such an important shrine, Itsukushima’s tondo is rather low key, held on Mikasa Beach next to the floating torii gate between the tides. Rather than the elaborate bamboo constructions set ablaze in other places, Itsukushima just seems to set light to a pile of cardboard boxes. It is also quite surprising that, this being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they have now qualms about burning everything, plastic and all. More photos from Itsukushima’s tondo here.

Gokoku-jinja Shrine, Onomichi

January 15 2024 from 10:00

This huge tondo is held at Hiroshima Gokoku-jinja Shrine next to Hiroshima Castle, tondo is always held on January 15, no matter what day of the week that falls on, and no matter the weather. There is also quite a lively atmosphere as a sizable crowd usually gathers and you are pretty close to popping of bamboo. The guys in charge of keeping the fire under control wear some pretty cool gear here.