Oiso Sagicho Festival

The Oiso Sagicho is a traditional New Year fire festival held annually in Oiso Town, Kanagawa Prefecture. Also known locally as Seetobaree or Dondoyaki, it is a ritual dedicated to Seenokamisan, a guardian deity associated with crossroads and community protection. The festival is designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, recognising its historical and cultural significance.

Origins and Meaning

According to local legend, the festival originates from a tale involving an evil spirit known as the one-eyed goblin, who recorded villagers’ misdeeds in a ledger. When dawn broke before the goblin could retrieve it, the ledger was left with Seenokamisan, who ultimately burned both the ledger and the dwelling to dispel misfortune. This act is said to have given rise to Sagicho as a ritual for purification and protection from illness and disaster.

More broadly, Sagicho belongs to a group of Little New Year (Koshogatsu) fire rituals practiced across Japan in mid-January, where New Year decorations are burned to mark the transition from the old year to the new and to pray for health, safety, and good harvests.

The Festival Ritual

On the day of the festival, bamboo, straw, and collected New Year decorations from across the town are brought to Kitahamakaigan. These materials are used to construct nine large conical structures, known as saito, each standing approximately seven to eight meters tall and representing different districts of Oiso.

At dusk, the structures are ceremonially set alight, creating a dramatic scene against the winter shoreline. Dumplings grilled over the sacred flames are eaten by participants, as tradition holds that doing so protects against illness. Other beliefs associated with the fire include improved calligraphy skills if burned New Year writing rises high into the air, and fire protection if smoldering pine embers are taken home and placed on rooftops.

Associated Customs

The festival is accompanied by related rituals, including Yannagokko, a symbolic tug-of-war between land and sea intended to drive away misfortune and pray for abundant catches. Preparatory customs and related observances begin weeks earlier, reflecting the festival’s deep integration into the local calendar and community life.