Dontosai Festival

Last Updated on January 15, 2025

Event Overview

The Dontosai Festival, also known as the Matsutaki Festival has a history of 300 years and is one of the largest New Year’s events in the country where, every year on January 14th, decorations and old sacred talismans are burned as an offering.

The bonfire is typically lit at 5pm each year.

At Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, it is called the Matsutaki Festival, but in other regions it is generally called Sagicho, or because of the intensity of the fire, Dondoyaki.

This fire is said to be a sacred fire that sees off the gods who visited each household during the New Year holidays, and it is said that those who warm up against it will be purified in mind and body, and will be blessed with good health and safety for the home for the year.

There is also a “naked pilgrimage” where people make a pilgrimage to this sacred fire.

This is said to have started when sake brewers would make pilgrimages to pray for safe brewing and ginjo sake during the bitter cold of winter, and was already established by the mid-Edo period.

Even today, you can see thousands of people from all over the city making pilgrimages, wearing white headbands and white loin cloths/shorts. They hold sealing paper in their mouths to prevent them breathing on the gods and also have a bell in their right hand and a lantern in their left hand.

This festival was designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Sendai City in 2005.

Venue Information

Location: Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

Dates: 14th January 2026

Opening Times: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Entry Cost

Free.

Nearest Station

Kawauchi Station

Tozai Line (T3)

Tozai Line (T12)