By TADASHI MIZOWAKI/ Staff Writer
August 25, 2024 at 16:24 JST
Visitors are dwarfed by giant lanterns, called Daijochin, in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, on Aug. 24. (Tadashi Mizowaki)
NISHIO, Aichi Prefecture--The hugely colorful Mikawa Isshiki Giant Lantern Festival, which is thought to date back to more than 450 years ago, kicked off here Aug. 24 at Suwajinja shrine.
A total of 12 large lanterns, the biggest of which stands 10 meters high and has a diameter of 5.6 meters, are displayed in the shrine precinct.
The lanterns depicting colorful historical picture scrolls were lit with candles after 7 p.m., providing a spectacle for visitors in the lingering summer heat.
The festival is said to have originated with a huge bonfire that was set alight to pray for the banishment of demons from the sea. The dedication of the lanterns began in the early Edo Period (1603-1867).
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