Torches are used in various 'fire festivals' to illuminate the approach to the shrine; are carried by worshippers as they walk in procession to the shrine; a large 'Otaimatsu torch' made of easily-burned firewood is used for night illumination in Shinto rituals; or they carried to the "Gekai" (lower world) by people running through the shrine.
夜間の参道を照らしたり、参拝者がたいまつを掲げて行列を組み神社などへ練り歩いたり、燃えやすい薪などの木ぎれを組んで作られた祭事用の「大松明」に火をつけて夜を照らしたり下界へ走り抜けたりするなど、たいまつを使った様々な「火祭り」が行われる。