The mikoshi was carried directly into the nearby river, where the bearers repeatedly slammed it against the stone embankment before rolling it through waist-deep water. Seeing a sacred object deliberately thrown into the river was both surprising and mesmerizing, especially for someone more familiar with festivals where mikoshi are carefully protected.

Soon after came another iconic moment: the lighting of the enormous taimatsu, a towering torch constructed from bundles of Ate (Japanese hiba) branches. Standing nearby felt like being caught in a shower of glowing embers as burning leaves drifted through the night sky.

Large bundles of Ate branches were piled into a blazing bonfire as the battered mikoshi was carried directly toward the flames. Time and time again, the bearers circled the fire, lifting, spinning, and slamming the shrine while allowing parts of it to be scorched by the intense heat.

Throughout the ritual, they paused only briefly to make quick repairs whenever pieces threatened to fall apart before charging back into the fire once more.

By the end of the night, the once-pristine mikoshi had been soaked in water, showered with sparks, blackened by smoke, and partially burned—yet it remained standing. Watching the shrine endure one final trial by fire was a fitting conclusion to one of Japan’s most extraordinary festivals.