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Takisanji Temple Demon Festival

Takisanji Temple Demon Festival

Date: Feb 21,2026(Sat)

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Demons appear from the flames in one of Japan's strangest festivals

Takisanji Temple was constructed by order of Emperor Temmu to worship Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, or Yakushinyorai in Japanese, and was originally named Kichijoji Temple. The Main Hall and Main Gate of Kamakura-style construction; a statue of Boddhisatva Avalokiteśvara, or Kannon in Japanese, made to scale of well-known war lord Minamoto Yoritomo's body size; and numerous other national important cultural properties can be seen throughout the temple's premises.

The Demon Festival is an event to pray for peace on Earth and a bountiful harvest. It is held on the evening of January 7 on the lunar calendar (the Saturday closest to January 7 on the lunar calendar). Its origins are said to have begun from a prayer by Lord Minamoto Yoritomo and it became an event of the shogunate from the third Tokugawa shogun's reign.
The festival begins with a parade of torches and half a day's worth of various rites. The climax comes during the Fire Festival, where more than 30 giant torches are brought to the national important cultural property Main Hall, lit on fire, and costumed demons dance wildly to the striking of bells and sounding of conch shells.

Demon Festival schedule

1:00 pm Temple treasure exhibit
　　　　View three Buddhist statues receiving donations of Lord Minamoto no Yoritomo.
3:00 pm Twelve-person giant torch parade
　　　　A procession carrying giant torches 1 km to the main hall and venue for the Demon Festival from the main gate
4:30 pm Devotional taiko drum performance (Miura Taiko Shop's Miura Yaichi [sixth generation])
　　　　Japanese-style drums resound throughout the Takisanji Temple area.
5:00 pm Buddhist memorial service
　　　　The head priest and others enter the Main Hall and perform a memorial service
6:20 pm Waving of swords in gratitude
　　　　Two from a group of twelve wave long swords before the alter to dispel evil. This is done first at Hiyoshi San'osha Shrine behind the Main Hall and next at Taki-san Toshogu Shrine.
6:30 pm Onizuka Rock memorial service (bean throwing)
　　　　Roasted grains are spread around Onizuka Rock, a memorial to two monks who died unable to remove their demon masks.
7:00 pm Garden Festival (Ta'asobi Festival)
　　　　Statements and agricultural gestures continuing from the Kamakura period are recreated here. The old-fashioned language too is from the Kamakura period.
7:45 pm Fire Festival
　　　　A festival leaving onlookers speechless

EVENT OVERVIEW

Place	Takisanji Temple Main Hall
Location	〒444-3173 107 Yamagomori, Taki-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi
Parking	Available Notes: • Okazaki City's Ryuhoku Multipurpose Athletic Park (former prefectural athletic ground) becomes available as a general parking lot with a shuttle bus running between Ryuhoku Multipurpose Athletic Park and Takisanji Temple. • Shuttle bus fare: JPY 230 for adults and JPY 120 for children one-way • Interim service bothways with departures occuring at no specified time. • Takisanji Temple acts as a temporary bus stop for this special bus service with the actual stop itself located in the parking lot along the road leading to the temple. • Some buses leaving the venue included those bound for Higashi Okazaki Station (fare is applies to the normal area covered). • Bus details for the day of the Takisanji Temple Demon Festival is available at https://www.meitetsu-bus.co.jp/info/detail/1357.
Phone number	0564-46-2296 (Takisanji Temple)

Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.

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ACCESS

Access by public transport

From Higashi Okazaki Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Line (board from Meitetsu Nagoya Station), take the Meitetsu Bus bound for Onuma. Then, get off at Takisanji-Shita Bus Stop.
Access by car

Approx. 20 min. north from Okazaki Interchange on the Tomei Expressway via Routes 1, 26, 477, and 355.