by Emma Holdsworth
Tiny flames at the foot of the mountain, a gloomy silence, the cold seeping through my poor
feet. Like all the previous year, it seems that the cold is a staple of Nara’s Yamayaki Festival, a tradition of burning Wakakusa mountain (山・yama, meaning mountain, and 焼き・yaki meaning burning), celebrated for over 250 years. Each year, the festival brings joy to locals and tourists alike through traditional music performances, a procession of monks holding a sacred flame, a rice cracker throwing competition, numerous food stalls, fireworks, and last but not least, the setting on fire of an entire mountain (although for me, it’s more of a hill).
This year, I attended the event as a staff of the Foreign Support Bureau of Nara. We welcomed foreign students and brought them to and from the Kintetsu Nara station, to the
foot of the mountain. Although I had my doubts about whether or not it would actually go along, as it started to snow the moment I arrived at Kintetsu Nara. Despite this, the stands
of food along the way were defying all weather conditions, selling everything from Yakisoba, to Taiyaki; there is truly nothing quite as memorable as eating a sugar glazed apple while watching a whole mountain set ablaze.
Once I arrived at the foot of the hill, climbed a million stairs, and almost slipped three times,
I of course, lost half my group. As would be expected of such a packed event. As I climbed
to the heights of Wakakusa with the remaining of my group, the anxiety of the crowd was set at ease by the stunning beauty of Nara’s skyline in the dark. The sun was still falling, and the air was filled with this indescribable pre-event excitement.
As everyone waited for the fireworks to start, I walked towards the centre of the hill, where a huge screen, a stage with a Taiko drum on it, and a bonfire were already set up for the event. At 18:15, the fireworks started, exploding in the sky in a glowing procession of different shapes and colours, their echoes complimenting the traditional live music playing in the background.
Then came the time of the burning, which was nothing short of disappointing. It seemed that the snow had made the grass too damp and therefore unburnable. We waited in the cold, filled with hope and expectation, for about 30 minutes, before I gave up and went to meet my colleagues with my group of foreign students. For an event that only comes once in a lifetime, I felt disappointed for those students who would be returning home this summer. It is ironic that snow, something that rarely happens in the valley of Nara, and whose arrival was almost miraculous, actually rendered its most important festival unachievable. However frustrating this was at the time, the experience is only more memorable because of its hiccups, and spending time with interesting people, watching fireworks in one of the oldest cities of Japan is definitely an experience I would like to remember.
A bit of history
Although no one really knows the true origins of Yamayaki, there are many theories, the most prominent of which involves the spirits buried in the Uguisuzuka tomb at the top, who can only be appeased by fire. Through this, monks can pray for an early and smooth spring. Some also say that the burning stems from a fight between Todaiji and Kofukuji temple in 1760, over the territory of the mountain, which Kasuga Taisha tried but failed to mediate. As an outcome, the mountain was burnt so that neither temple could claim to have it. Finally, a third theory explains the burnings as a way to chase wild boars living in the mountain away (we prefer cute deers right?). It could be the case that Yamayaki is celebrated because of a mix of all three, but the truth of the matter is, Yamayaki is one of these festivals that is celebrated so often over time, that Japanese people themselves forgot the reason they are doing it. Through this, the festival is a true testament of strong Japanese traditions, and their dedication to honoring their past.
You might be wondering what happens now that the mountain did not burn. Is this a bad omen for the Spring to come? Worry not! For if you have missed the burning, you may accidentally see it in the next few weeks. Indeed, rumour has it that the organisers still intend to burn Wakakusayama. However, unfortunately there has been no official date communicated, leaving people to hopefully, accidentally, stumble upon it. I guess you’ll have to come back to Nara at some point if you want to see its sacred mountain burn!