Seventeen giant torches burn on an autumn evening.

These "taimatsu" are the highlight of a much-loved fire festival.

The people living north of Sukagawa were once seen in the rest of Japan as fearsome rebels.

The peaceful park on this hill is far removed from those days,

but the matsuri held here brings to mind a violent event in 1589.

In that year, Date Masamune, a dominant regional warlord, defeated a foe based in Sukagawa.

It is said that the matsuri began as a local rite to mourn those who had died in that battle.

Various teams make the taimatsu torches.

Each year, local junior and senior high school students are among those involved.

We start in May and finish in
November. It takes six months.

A lot of this is pretty hard work.

But I look forward to all of us
carrying and lighting the torch.

The tradition dates back 400 years.

In that time, how many
people must have taken part?

Parents, grandparents,
many people of all ages.

"You local students represent
the next link in a long tradition."

"That's why it is so significant
for you to take part."

That's what I tell them.

These tall torches, each weighing about a ton,

had become a feature of the matsuri by the early 1900s.

The framework to support them is made from bamboo, harvested locally in September and October.

The fuel is silver grass which is cut at the same time and then dried for a month.

Each taimatsu is wrapped in the kind of rush matting used for tatami mats.

Woven strips of bamboo are formed into rings that hold everything in place.

These rings play a key role in determining the final appearance of the torch.

The torch columns are cylindrical
and that shape is important.

Something was needed to keep
the columns looking good.

Bamboo is strong and flexible.

So these rings proved to be the best
way to maintain the right shape.

The torches burn throughout the festival.

The volume and dryness of the reeds play a vital role

in ensuring that the torches keep burning for a long time.

The next step is to wrap each taimatsu in the rush matting.

The team put heart and soul into this.

Collecting materials,
assembling the torch.

Everyone worked really hard.

Pandemic worries mean that
numbers will be down this year.

Some people will decide to stay away.

So I'll be thinking of them, too,
as I light the requiem flame.

Team members work on days off and in the evenings.

Everyone is a volunteer.

As a finishing touch, a team banner is sewn onto the torch.

The young folks are learning
how to uphold the traditions.

Older ones explain how to
fold the matting or tie ropes.

Those kinds of techniques are tricky.

But safety comes first. If the torches
stand up right, they will burn well.

I hope to see them burn bravely
until they collapse.

The matsuri is held on the second Saturday of November.

The torches are taken to the park the day before.

Usually, they are carried by the teams, but this year, as a pandemic precaution, trucks are used.

When we make them they're lying
on their side.

They look so different standing up.
It makes me feel quite emotional!

I'll be thinking of the long tradition
we're continuing as I light ours.

I can't wait till tomorrow!

My heart is pounding
just thinking about it!

The flame that is used to light the torches comes from the shrine

built to honor the local castle's defeated lord.

The sacred flame will now
go to the festival site.

Thank you all for taking it.

The flame arrives at the park after 6PM.

"The flame will light the main fire."

"It's caught fire!"

"A round of applause, please."

In 2020 and 2021 the objective was
simply to keep the tradition alive.

We made just one torch and
no spectators were allowed.

But this year we're back,
for the first time in three years.

I'm delighted we have people
watching again.

"A team representative
will now light each torch."

A representative from each team climbs up to the top of their torch to light it.

"And now each torch will be lit."

One by one, the taimatsu are set aflame.

Around 20,000 people have gathered, most of them local residents.

People can get up close for the first time in three years.

Taiko drums are played to appease the souls of the warriors who gave their lives so many years ago.

Six months of hard work went into the making of these torches.

People watch them slowly burn.

It takes about two hours.

I feel they mark the end of a season.

The weather turns cold after this.
The torches mark that change.

The torches burn for those who died defending the community.

And once the matsuri ends, winter begins in earnest.