五山送り火：2023年8月16日（水）

五山送り火は，今では，8月16日午後8時から，大文字（如意ヶ嶽），妙法（松ヶ崎西山，東山），船形（西賀茂船山），左大文字（大文字山），鳥居形（嵯峨鳥居本曼荼羅山）の山に順番に松明送り火が点火され，お盆にお迎えした先祖の霊を送り出し，無病息災を祈念する行事であり，京の夏の風物詩の一つである。

　いつから五山送り火が始まったかについては諸説があり，定説がないという。以前は，この他に，い（市原野），ー（鳴滝），竹の先に鈴（西山），蛇（北嵯峨），長刀（観空寺）などの送り火があったというが，早くに途絶えてしまったという。

　今年は台風7号が8月15日に京都を直撃したこともあり，送り火の各山でたきあげる護摩木の受付が8月15日は中止となり，8月16日の早朝から受け付けられた。

Gozan Okuribi：August 16th(Wednesday)

The "Gozan Okuribi" is a traditional event in Kyoto, Japan. It takes place on August 16th, starting at 8:00 PM. Torches are lit in the order of five mountains: Daimonji (Mt.Nyoigatake), Myōhō (Mt. Nishiyama and Higashiyama in Matsugasaki), Funagata (Mt. Funayama in Nishigamo), Hidari-Daimonji(Mt. Daimonjiyama), and Toriigata (Mt. Saga -Toriimoto-Mandalayama). This event is a tradition where torches are lit to guide the spirits of ancestors who have been welcomed back during the Obon festival, praying for good health and well-being. It is one of the iconic summer events in Kyoto.

There are various theories about when the tradition of Gozan Okuribi began, and there is no established consensus. In the past, there were other bonfires such as "I" (Ichiharano), "ー" (Narutaki), a bell at the end of bamboo (Nishiyama), a snake (Kita Saga), and a long sword (Kanku-ji), but these traditions faded away early on.

This year, due to Typhoon No. 7 directly hitting Kyoto on August 15th, the reception of sacred logs for the bonfires, which are to be ignited on each mountain, was canceled on August 15th. However, it resumed on the early morning of August 16th.