Ōsaki Hachimangū (大崎八幡宮) 大崎八幡宮
On 14 January thousands of men walk to the fire with a sheet of paper in their mouths, so as not to talk
The main body of the shrine (inner hall, prayer hall and the stone room that joins them) was built in 1607 at the wish of Date Masamune, the lord who had just founded Sendai, and in November 1952 it was designated a National Treasure. It is the oldest surviving example of the style known as gongen-zukuri, in which the two halls are linked by a room with a lower floor; the inner hall measures five bays by three, and is lacquered, painted, carved and fitted with metalwork in the taste of the Momoyama period. The bonfire of 14 January is called Matsutaki-sai, but in Sendai everyone calls it Dontosai: it has been documented since 1849 and today it is held in 157 places in the city, but this is the only one with a proven continuity from the Edo period.
Miyagi
Ryuhoji Iriguchi, Osaki Hachimangu Mae
