1. Why Do Returning Ancestors Need a Welcoming Fire?
In the evening of Obon, some families light a small fire at their entrance or in their garden. This is called the "mukaebi" or welcoming fire. Dictionaries explain it as a fire lit at the gate using dried hemp stalks to welcome spirits (ancestors' souls) when entering the Obon period [1]. The general explanation for why this fire is lit is that it serves as a marker so ancestral spirits can find their way home without getting lost [2]. For those returning, it acts as a light to identify the entrance of their family home during the darkening evening. It is similar to feeling relieved when you see a distant light while walking home at night. However, this "marker" explanation is widely used in current commentary, but the sources do not provide evidence that the welcoming fire started for this specific purpose.
2. How Is the Obon Welcoming Fire Made from Hemp Stalks?
The material used for the welcoming fire is "ogara," which consists of hemp stalks with the bark removed. These are folded and stacked on a flat earthenware plate called a "horou," then lit [2]. Because ogara is dry and thin, it burns lightly with crackling sounds and finishes quickly. There are several explanations for why hemp stalks are used. Hemp is considered a pure plant used in Shinto rituals, believed to have purifying power. Also, it catches fire easily, has a hollow core that leaves little residue, making cleanup easy [5]. However, these reasons come from folk explanations, and the sources cannot determine which is the true reason. The date for lighting the fire also varies. It is common to welcome ancestors on the evening of the 13th and send them off on the 16th, but some explain sending them off on the evening of the 15th. Originally in the old calendar's seventh month, many regions shifted to August after the calendar reform in the Meiji era, while Tokyo and some other areas observe it in July [7]. If a fire cannot be lit at home, some explanations say using the light from an Obon lantern is a substitute [7]. Even if the form changes, the feeling of welcoming remains. But when did this tradition begin?
SAFETY NOTE: For the welcoming fire, use ogara (hemp stalks without bark) stacked on a flat earthenware plate called horou and lit [2]. Note that this specific method lacks primary source verification, and multiple reasons may have been added later.
3. When Did Obon and the Welcoming Fire Become Linked?
Obon is considered a combination of an ancient Japanese belief about ancestral spirits returning from the other world and Buddhist Ullambana (Urbon) rituals [3]. The center of Obon is honoring ancestors, and it is explained that Buddhism merged into agricultural rites and faith in ancestral spirits to spread. The origin of Ullambana is said to be the story of Maudgalyayana (Mokuren) offering alms to save his mother from a realm of suffering. Recently, some theories trace the word's root to an Iranian term meaning "spirits of the dead" [3]. Japanese records mention a ritual on July 15 in 606 (Suijo 14) and a Ullambana ceremony at Asuka Temple in 657, where a Mount Sumeru statue was made [3]. However, these records do not mention the welcoming fire. The sources cannot determine when or where the welcoming fire started. The idea of welcoming ancestors during Obon likely came first, and the fire marker may have taken shape later, but there is no evidence to show this.
4. How Do Families Send Off Ancestors with a Sending-Off Fire?
Around the end of Obon, an "okuribi" or sending-off fire is lit. This fire is lit at gates, rivers, or seashores when ending Ullambana and sending off spirits. It was believed that ancestors would return to the other world riding this fire. It is the pair to the welcoming fire [4]. Like the welcoming fire, dates vary by region; some places use the 16th, others the evening of the 15th [7]. The welcoming fire lit the way home. The sending-off fire is thought to light the path to the other world. Fire is placed at both the start and end of Obon, wrapping these few days in flames. So, what happens when this fire is lit not just by homes but by the whole town?
5. How Did Home Sending-Off Fires Grow into Daimonji and Other Village Fires?
Sending-off fires are often lit by individual homes, but some places light them on small hills or riverbeds as a village event. Kyoto’s Daimonji is said to be a remnant of the Obon sending-off fire, representing the community sending off spirits together [4]. The Five Mountain Send-off Fires in Kyoto are lit on the night of August 16 at five locations: Higashiyama (Daimonji), Matsugasaki (Myo/Ho), Nishigamo (Funagata), Kitayama (Hidari-Daimonji), and Saga (Torii-shape). These are traditional events for sending off Obon spirits, and all five are registered as Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Kyoto City. Lighting takes about 30 minutes per mountain [6]. The sources cannot verify the origin of these fires. There is also a welcoming fire in spring. In Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture, "Mato-bi" involves lighting torches at graveyards, mountain ridges, valleys, and riverbeds on the evening of the spring equinox day (March 21) to welcome ancestral spirits. It is said that this evolved from burning straw at graves for memorial services into lighting bundles of straw equal to the number of households in the village on small hills as markers for welcoming spirits [8]. Although this is a spring equinox example, not an Obon welcoming fire, the idea of "lighting fires together in high places to welcome" is very similar. Both the home welcoming fire and the mountain sending-off fire share the flow of lighting fires for ancestors. The Mato-bi’s "bundles equal to household numbers" can be seen as home fires gathering into a mountain fire.
6. How Can You Find Out About Welcoming Fires in Your Own Family and Town?
Ask your family members if they light fires or Obon lanterns at their homes or relatives' houses during the Obon period. Methods and dates may differ by home or region. This is a real example of the "dates vary by region" fact found in the sources [7]. Search for town events. Look on library websites or municipal official sites to see if there are events lighting fires on mountains or riverbeds in your town or your grandparents' town. Searching with words like "sending-off fire," "welcoming fire," or "equinox" may help you find them. SAFETY NOTE: Always perform fire activities with adults. Do not use fire on windy days or near flammable objects.
To read more: For explanations of the welcoming fire, see [1]; for the origins of Obon, see [3]; for the Five Mountain Send-off Fires, see [6]; and for Akita’s Mato-bi, see [8].