The Ogoma Fire Ritual at Yakuo-in on Mount Takao

Halfway up Mount Takao, where Tokyo’s western hills begin, the temple of Yakuo-in has been holding fire rituals for over a millennium. The ogoma is Shingon Buddhism at its most theatrical: priests file in to conch and drum, flames climb from a hearth of stacked prayer sticks, and the smoke is said to carry wishes upward. Attending one turns a popular hiking mountain into something considerably deeper.

The ritual

Goma sticks are inscribed with prayers, for health, success, safe travels, and committed to the fire while priests chant, the drums building with the flames. It is intense, rhythmic and strangely moving even with no religious stake in the outcome. Yakuo-in is also the seat of Mount Takao’s tengu lore, the long nosed mountain spirits whose statues glower around the grounds, and the whole temple complex rewards slow exploration on the way through.

Getting there

From Shinjuku, the Keio line runs direct to Takaosanguchi Station in around 50 minutes. A cable car and a chairlift both climb the steep lower section of the mountain, from which the temple is a further 20 to 30 minutes of gentle walking along the main trail. Many visitors continue past the temple to the summit, where clear winter days throw in a view of Mount Fuji as a bonus.

Frequently asked questions

Any etiquette to know? Follow staff directions, keep voices low during the ritual, and photograph only where signage permits.

Do I need to be Buddhist? No, respectful visitors are welcome, which is very much in the mountain’s tradition.

What should I wear? Walking shoes; you are on a mountain trail, however gentle.

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