Why Ise Grand Shrine’s 80-Year-Old New Year’s Eve Bonfire Tradition Is Under Fire
Did someone collect huge sums of money using the shrine’s name?
The Ise Grand Shrine is regarded as the foremost shrine in Japan. Around 1,500 rituals and ceremonies are held there each year, and among the largest is the Ōkagaribi (“Great Bonfire”) ceremony. On New Year’s Eve, fifteen large and small bonfires made from sacred wood are lit to welcome the new year.
However, a bitter dispute involving as much as 10 million yen has reportedly broken out within the organization responsible for managing this traditional event. The organization in question is the public-interest incorporated association Nihon Seishinkai, which has been involved in operating the event since the very first Ōkagaribi ceremony in 1945.
Keishun Inoue, the association’s former representative director, who still serves as a board member, revealed the details.
“The Ōkagaribi is one of the largest events held by Ise Grand Shrine. Every New Year’s Eve, our organization dispatches 120 people to carry out duties such as tending the fires. Participants are selected from among our members. I cannot go into detail, but some tasks are performed in the shrine’s innermost sacred area, which only Shinto priests are ordinarily allowed to enter.
Because it is such a rare and valuable experience, many people wish to participate, so every year we reserve a small number of places—just over a dozen—for non-members as well. We hope that some of them will later decide to become members. The participation fee is 15,000 yen for members and 30,000 yen for non-members.”
According to Inoue, problems began after Hirofumi Ōno, a member of the Ise City Council, joined the organization. Ōno became a member in 2021, and two years later an unprecedented controversy erupted.
“It began when we received an inquiry from a non-member participant. The person told us that, when taking part in the New Year’s Eve event in 2023, they had paid Mr. Ōno an astonishing 550,000 yen as a participation fee because he had requested it.
The amount was more than fifteen times the normal fee, and I could hardly believe my ears. Mr. Ōno had independently recruited participants under what he called a special category, charging 550,000 yen for men and 330,000 yen for women. On top of that, the money was transferred into Mr. Ōno’s personal bank account. I was speechless.”
Minoru Okuyama, an auditor of the association, continued:
“As soon as we heard about it, we questioned Mr. Ōno directly, but he insisted that he had obtained the informal approval of the representative director at the time. That director was already in his eighties, and it is unclear how well he understood the circumstances, so the credibility of that claim is doubtful. In any case, there is no way that a matter involving such a large amount of money should have been decided without going through the board of directors.
Most importantly, the money was deposited into a personal bank account. Why wasn’t it transferred to the association’s account? The former representative director also stepped down because of his age, and in June 2024 Mr. Inoue became the new representative director. We reported the matter to the Cabinet Office, which oversees us, and informed the public relations department of Ise Grand Shrine about what had happened.”
Despite the anniversary year, the ceremony was scaled back, with fewer bonfires than usual
According to materials submitted to Japan’s Cabinet Office this April by Director Inoue and Auditor Okuyama, City Council member Ono collected participation fees totaling 12.1 million yen from 22 men and 5.28 million yen from 16 women. However, only 4.83 million yen was deposited into Seishinkai’s account, leaving a discrepancy of 12.55 million yen unaccounted for. Auditor Okuyama lamented the situation.
“Mr. Ono probably saw us, as we continued to pursue the matter relentlessly, as a nuisance. In January 2025, a board meeting was held while Mr. Inoue was absent, and Mr. Ono became the representative director. Mr. Inoue was removed from the position.”
After receiving reports of the trouble, Ise Grand Shrine’s public relations office announced in May of last year that Seishinkai would not be allowed to participate in the Ōkagaribi ceremony at the end of the year. In December, the Cabinet Office sent a notice requesting not only the fiscal 2024 inventory of assets but also the submission of measures to prevent a recurrence of the governance-related problems that had come to light.
However, Representative Director Ono failed to submit the requested documents, and in February of this year, the Cabinet Office issued an order demanding their submission. If the situation remains unresolved, the organization could lose its status as a public interest incorporated association.
“The year 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of the Ōkagaribi ceremony. Yet, at that milestone, we were barred from participating by the shrine. On the day itself, employees of the Ise Grand Shrine Forestry Department carried out the ceremony in our place, but I heard it was a simplified version with fewer bonfires than usual,” said Director Inoue.
As the representative director, how does Mr. Ono view this situation? The following is a question-and-answer session with the city council member.
◎ Reason for designating a personal bank account as the destination for payments
“The fee structure for the special category, which was separate from the general participants, was not something I decided on by myself. It was determined by four people—the chairman at the time, one director, one auditor, and myself—and participants were recruited accordingly. (Omitted.) The collection and management of participation fees were carried out in accordance with the organizational structure and practical circumstances of the time, and there was absolutely no intention of personal misuse or embezzlement. (Omitted.) Following the instructions of the chairman at the time, participants were encouraged to deposit the money into my personal account, and I acted accordingly.”
◎ Concerning the whereabouts of the unaccounted-for funds
“The actual number of participants was 13 men paying 550,000 yen each, totaling 7.15 million yen, and 8 women paying 330,000 yen each, totaling 2.64 million yen, for a total of 9.79 million yen. The amount that I transferred into Seishinkai’s account was 7.348 million yen. (Omitted.) The difference was agreed upon with the management team at the time as a 25 percent commission for my own business activities. (Omitted.) I regard it as legitimate compensation.”
◎ Opinion regarding Ise Grand Shrine’s refusal to allow participation in the 2025 Ōkagaribi ceremony
“This is not a problem that originated during my tenure. It is the accumulation of various issues.”
◎ Reason for not complying with the Cabinet Office’s recommendations and orders
“I have been obstructed by some of the officers. (Omitted.) The situation is such that we cannot even secure the official seals of all the officers required for the submission of the documents.”
When asked about the circumstances surrounding the disciplinary action against Seishinkai, Ise Grand Shrine responded, “We decline to comment.”
Auditor Okuyama expressed his anger.
“The participant numbers and monetary amounts we reported to the Cabinet Office were figures that Mr. Ono himself had reported to Seishinkai. I cannot understand why he is now presenting completely different numbers. If the money was truly legitimate, why have his explanations changed so many times? It is truly frustrating to think that the traditions of Ise Grand Shrine could be destroyed over something like this.”
The flame of tradition now appears to be on the verge of going out.
From the combined June 26–July 3, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”
PHOTO： Aflo (Photos 1 and 2)