Nara Tokae

The schedule of Nara Tokae (Nara Tokae Lantern Festival) is presented here. Nara Tokae is held every year from early August to mid-August. Nara Tokae is held in Nara Park area, surrounded by the World Heritage Sites Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. At Nara Tokae, about 20,000 candles are lit and events are sometimes held.

• Nara Tokae 2023 Schedule
• Nara Tokae map & access
• Nara Tokae　history and brief overview

【Nara Tokae 2023 Schedule】

Nara Tokae 2023 will be held from Saturday, August 5th to Monday, August 14th, 2023 from 19:00 to 21:30.
★Todai-ji Temple Kagamiike site will be open on August 13th and 14th, and the Kasuga Taisha approach site will be open only on August 14th.

【Nara Tokae map & access】

Address: Nara Park, Kasuga-cho, Nara
Access: JR Nara Station, Kintetsu Nara Station (Directly in front of “Kasuga Taisha Omotesando” on the city loop bus)

【Nara Tokae history and brief overview】

Nara Tokae (Nara Tokae Lantern Festival, なら燈花会) has been held since 1999. In 2000, the NPO Nara Tokae was founded. “Touka （燈花）” is a flower-shaped mass that forms at the tip of a candle’s wick. When “Touka” is formed, it is said to be lucky in Buddhism. Nara Tokae is filled with the wish that visitors will be happy.
Nara Tokae is held in Nara Park area, surrounded by the World Heritage Sites Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. About 20,000 candles are lit at the Ukigumo-enchi site, Asajigahara-enchi site, Ukimido site, Sarusawa Pond and 52 Steps site, Kofuku-ji Temple site, Todai-ji Temple Kagami-ike site, and Kasuga Taisha approach site. (Venue may be changed) At Nara Tokae, you can also light candles for a fee. (Ikkyaku-Ittou) Events are sometimes held at Nara Tokae, and food stalls may be set up.
Candles and cups are made of naturally derived materials that are safe for deer to eat. About 1,200 deer live in Nara Park area.

• Nara Park was opened on February 14th, 1880, after the precincts of Kofuku-ji Temple and the area around Sarusawa Pond, which had been devastated by the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism (Haibutsukishaku). After that, the precincts of Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, as well as the mountain forests of Hoyama, Kasugayama, and Wakakusayama were incorporated. Nara Park currently has a total area of about 502 hectares. Including Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, the total area is about 2 kilometers from north to south and about 4 kilometers from east to west, and the total area is about 660 hectares.
• Kofuku-ji Temple is said to have originated in 669 when Kagami no Okimi, wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari, built Yamashinadera Temple in Kyoto to enshrine three statues of Buddha and the Four Heavenly Kings in order to pray for her husband’s recovery from illness. In 672, when the capital was transferred to Fujiwara-kyo, Yamashinadera Temple was also moved to Fujiwara-kyo and was called Umayasakadera Temple. In 710, when the capital was transferred to Heijo-kyo, Fujiwara no Fuhito, son of Fujiwara no Kamatari, moved Umayasakadera Temple to the current location and named it Kofuku-ji Temple.
• Todai-ji Temple is said to have originated from Kinshosenji Temple (Kinshoji Temple), which was built in 728 by the 45th Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo to mourn the deceased Prince Motoi. In 741, Emperor Shomu issued an imperial decree to build Kokubunji Temple (Konkoumyouji Temple) and Kokubun Niji Temple (Hokkeji Temple), and the following year, 742, Kinshosenji Temple became Yamato Kokubunji Temple. In 743, Emperor Shomu issued an imperial decree for the construction of the Great Buddha, and construction of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple began in 745.
• Kasuga Taisha Shrine is said to have originated about 1,300 years ago when Takemikaduchi no Mikoto of Kashima Shrine in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) was enshrined on the summit of Mikasayama, Ukigumonomine. In 768 , Fujiwara no Nagate built a shrine at the current location by order of the 48th Emperor Shoutoku, and enshrined Futsunushi no Omikoto from Katori Jingu Shrine in Shimousa Province (Chibaa Prefecture) and Amanokoyane no Mikoto and Himegami from Hiraoka Shrine in Kawachi Province (Osaka Prefecture). Wakamiya Shrine was built in 1135.

【Nara Tokae　remarks】
Always check with the organizer for event information. Information on this site is for reference only. Contents of the event may have changed.
なら燈花会2024