This summer, the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, basement floor of Miyako Messe) is holding a special in-museum reception for Daimonji gomagi (wooden prayer tablets), part of Kyoto Gozan Okuribi, from July 30 (Thu) to August 12 (Wed), 2026.
Until now, gomagi for Daimonji have mainly been received on-site at the foot of Mt. Daimonji during the Obon period (August 14–16). This year marks the first time advance reception is being offered at a facility away from the mountain.
The aim is to create more opportunities for people to take part in this traditional event while offering a cool, comfortable indoor space to write gomagi at leisure. It also seeks to raise awareness of challenges facing the tradition, such as a shortage of participants and rising material costs, and to build wider support for its continued survival.
1. Wider Access and Multilingual Support
Previously limited to the foot of Mt. Daimonji, advance reception is now available inside the museum, making it easier for visitors who find it difficult to travel to the mountain, as well as domestic and international tourists, to take part. English-language writing guidance is also provided, giving inbound visitors a chance to experience this Kyoto tradition firsthand.
2. Challenges Facing the Tradition
Kyoto Gozan Okuribi, a summer event symbolic of the city, has long been maintained by local residents and preservation societies. In recent years, however, the burden of sustaining it has grown due to climate-related difficulty in sourcing raw materials, rising material costs, and a shortage of successors and participants.
3. Crowdfunding Flyers on Display
The organizer, the Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Federation (公益財団法人京都五山送り火連合会), is running a crowdfunding campaign (July 1–August 31, 2026) to help cover the costs of carrying out the event and support its continuation. The museum has placed flyers about the campaign in the special reception space, sharing the hope of carrying this tradition into the future.
4. Overview of the Daimonji Gomagi Reception
Gomagi are special wooden tablets on which visitors write wishes, their name, and other messages so that their prayers can be delivered through a ceremonial burning. Gomagi collected at the museum will be solemnly burned atop Mt. Daimonji on August 16 (Sun), the day of Gozan Okuribi.
- Reception period: July 30 (Thu) – August 12 (Wed), 2026
- Museum hours: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
- Reception location: Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design, special in-museum corner (basement floor of Miyako Messe / free admission area)
- Donation: ¥400 and up per tablet, to the Daimonji Preservation Society (大文字保存会)
- What to write: Wishes for family safety, good health, memorial messages for ancestors, and other personal wishes, along with your name (writing guidance available in Japanese and English)
- Other: Flyers about the Kyoto Gozan Okuribi crowdfunding campaign are available at the reception area
5. Video: Daimonji Preservation Society Vice Chairman Featured in Director's Chat Live
The museum's official YouTube channel has published an interview video featuring Murano, Vice Chairman of the Daimonji Preservation Society (大文字保存会).
In the video, Murano discusses the deeper meaning behind sending off "o-shorai-san" (ancestral spirits), a purpose that goes beyond simple sightseeing, along with behind-the-scenes details of a tradition upheld for around 400 years, including the large torch signal on the day of the lighting and the countdown that echoes across the mountaintop.
Video title: Director's Chat Live (Special Edition): Gozan Okuribi
6. Reference: Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Crowdfunding Campaign
- Project name: For Those You Love, Carry Kyoto's Flame Into the Future (Become a Guardian of Gozan Okuribi, a Project to Pass Down Tradition) (大切な人を想う、京の火を未来へ あなたも五山送り火の守人に、伝統を繋ぐプロジェクト)
- Campaign period: July 1 (Wed) – August 31 (Mon), 2026
- Goal amount: ¥4,000,000, to cover costs of carrying out the Gozan Okuribi event
- Organizer: Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Federation (公益財団法人京都五山送り火連合会)
- Campaign page: https://the-kyoto.en-jine.com/projects/gozan-okuribi
