Five mountains including Higashiyama Nyoigatake peak

The best spot to view Daimonji is Kamo Ohashi Bridge, which can be reached from Demachiyanagi Station on the Keihan Line or by Kyoto Bus alighting at Kamo Ohashi.

Daimonji (the character “dai,” or “big”) Gozan (five mountains) Okuribi (send-off fire) is an annual event held on August 16 that lights up the summer night sky.  The Okuribi ritual is a religious event held to send off the spirits of our ancestors as they return to Meifu (the world of the deceased).  It has been a staple annual event since the Edo period.  The character “dai” on the top of the mountain Higashiyama Nyoigatake will be lit at 20:00. This will be followed by the lighting of the characters “myo” on Matsugasaki Nishiyama (Mt. Mantoro) and “ho” on Matsugasaki Higashiyama (Mt. Daikokuten) at 20:10. “Funagata” (the pictograph for "boat") on Mt. Nishi Kamofuna and the mirror-writing “dai” character on Mt. Okita will be lit at 20:15, and “toriigata” (the pictograph for "shrine gate") on Sagatoriimoto Mandarayama at 20:20.  All images will burn for about 30 minutes.