Yoshida Fire Festival ~ Festival Organizers ~

The most important role in the Yoshida Fire Festival is that of the "caretaker," sometimes called the "festival caretaker (or officer)." The caretaker is a representative of the three towns (towns) that make up the parish area of ​​Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, and is a servant of the shrine. This role is filled by young men from the local households.

The role was traditionally for men in their 20s to 40s, who were expected to serve as caretakers before reaching the unlucky age of 42. This position required the man to be married, and because it was a responsible role involving handling large sums of money and diplomatic skills, it could not be entrusted to an unmarried man.

The caretakers are responsible for supporting the major annual events of Asama Shrine by participating in various ways and providing service. The Fire Festival, in particular, is the most important opportunity for service and a grand stage, and while they receive respect as honorable officials and the faces of the festival, they are not elders in the festival, so they treat the parishioners and the mikoshi bearers (seko) with humility and perform their duties based entirely on a spirit of service.

During the two days of the Fire Festival, they dress in matching costumes, carry lanterns, and lead the portable shrine procession, as well as participating in and managing various Shinto rituals. They also dedicate themselves to various volunteer tasks related to the preparation of the Fire Festival over a long period, and when August arrives and the festival takes place, they take about a month off from their regular jobs to be completely absorbed in the preparations for the festival.

The most important task is to recruit donors for the large torches known as "Yui-Taimatsu" and "O-Taimatsu," which are the highlights of the festival, and to work tirelessly to collect these donations. This task begins as early as spring, six months before the festival.

The work of the caretakers is extremely demanding and carries heavy responsibilities, so in recent years it has been difficult to find volunteers and secure them. However, the sense of accomplishment after fulfilling this heavy responsibility is immense, and even today, it can be seen that they weep openly in front of the Zuishinmon gate after the festival is over and the portable shrine has been put away.

Those who served as caretakers in this way became lifelong friends and maintained extremely close relationships with each other thereafter. It was said that "a man from Kamiyoshida is not a real man until he has served as a caretaker," and it was believed that any man born in this area would serve as a caretaker at least once in his life. Those who had served as caretakers the previous year were commonly called "old caretakers" and were expected to guide and assist the current year's caretakers. Old caretakers were also called "later caretakers," and two years later they became "later later caretakers."

Citations/References

"Yoshida Fire Festival" National Record Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property Survey Report, 17, Fujiyoshida City Board of Education