Natalie Jacobsen
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Jacobsen graduated from the University of Oregon and resided in Japan after for over six years. As a journalist and TV staffer there, she delved into cultural issues and challenges, and learned about the origin of festivals that are over a thousand years old, including the one pictured. She has since lived in Virginia, while her husband attended law school and she continued her work as a reporter for local news, covering social justice and small-town personalities. Today, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, 200 house plants, and is a Marketing Director for the Combined Federal Campaign. She is working on publishing her debut novel, a historical fiction set in Japan. Check out more of her photography at: www.komorebimotif.com or follow her on Instagram: @natalieannaj and @komorebimotif
Electronic images
The Fiery Japanese Summers
Monks carry torches through a beaten forest path toward the Torii gate at Nachi Taki Waterfall; others wave their fans to keep the fire contained, and chase away demons, spreading the blessing through dance and fire over attendees.
In a ritual performed by monks and Shinto priests for over a thousand years, Nachi Taki waterfall and Shrine has been witness to the torches of summer lit again and again. This ritual blesses the land and chases away the "yokai" (Japanese class of demons and monsters) that have encroached throughout the year. Held in the heat of summer, this festival, tucked far from civilization in the mountains, only allows for select audiences to view and participate. Children are encouraged to follow the parade, and when the soot cools, to cover their faces with ash to receive protection for the upcoming year. The ritual lasts for a few hours, with firefighters waiting behind the trees, just in case. Smoke rises from the torches beyond the festival's limits, seeping through the treetops, and catching the sunlight for a magical, ethereal feel. Hikers can climb the thousand steps to the mountain and shrine summit for an overall view of the gates and waterfall after, to "take in the moment," as the priest suggests.
More about this photo: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2015/08/a-festival-of-fire-wakayamas-nachi-no-ogi/