Kisshosoji Temple

Tondo, a fire ceremony to pray for a prosperous new year, is conducted in temples all over Japan during the new year. The ceremony at Kisshosoji is said to have originated 1,300 years ago. From the early morning, locals and priests create a pair of torches six meters tall with a three-meter diameter. At night, they are ignited and spectators watch fierce orange flames rise up into the winter sky.