Manpuku-temple Firewalking Festival

Manpuku-temple Firewalking Festival, Jan.28,2016, Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Hibuse Matsuri in Manpuku-temple is a traditional firewalking ceremony of barefoot mountain priests. In "Hibuse Matsuri", after the questions and answers by mountaineering ascetics, a fire is made with sacred cards of the previous year and New Year's decorations collected in the precinct of the temple, and to the reading of the sutras also chanting various esoteric incantations and perform rituals with sword, bows and arrows, barefoot mountain priests walk over the fire followed by general worshippers, praying for health and happiness. (Photo by Alessandro Di Ciommo/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)