The Dance of Fire and Water

• Photographer
  Tetsuya Okubo
• Technical Info
  1/125 F2.8 75mm Iso1000 Aps-c
• Photo Date
  2025/07/06

In the wake of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, the Abare Festival returned with undiminished force and devotion. Captured in the sacred moment of purification, this image shows men casting a burning mikoshi into the Kannoji River, where fire from towering torches rains down. This fierce ritual of water and flame marks the final cleansing before entering the shrine, a symbolic rebirth through trial. Set in Ishikawa, Japan, the scene embodies both centuries-old tradition and the unbroken spirit of a region rising from disaster.