The Matsuage fire-throwing festival in the Nakanata district is one of several fire rituals held in Obama between the end of August and the beginning of September. To prepare for these rituals, a large cone-shaped basket called a moji is constructed from bamboo, wood, and straw and attached to a long wooden pole approximately 15 to 25 meters tall. In the Nakanata festival, the pole is set up on the bank of the Tamura River so the moji sits high in the sky above the water. On the evening of the festival, participants compete to light the moji ablaze by hurling lit bundles of pine toward the top of the structure.
Various theories exist about the origin of this fire festival. One claims that it was inspired by ritual traditions at Atago Jinja Shrine on Mt. Atago in Kyoto, where a well-known fire deity is worshiped. This is supported by the fact that historical trade routes brought a wealth of cultural customs, including religious traditions and festivals, from the former capital in Kyoto to the Wakasa region. Another theory maintains that lighting a bonfire on the last day of the Obon summer festival period became popular as a game of sorts to be enjoyed by members of the community. Participants traditionally believed that successfully lighting the fire was a sure sign of a bountiful harvest, suggesting that the ritual was connected to crop divination in the past.
