Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, is the easternmost town on the main island of Japan. This is a documentary exploring the "Matsu-akashi", a Bon Festival that came to be in Miyako City.
Matsu-akashi is a custom in which a bonfire is burned using pine tree branches at the entrance of the house at dusk on the 1st, 7th, 13th to 16th, 20th and 31st of August. There are almost no historical materials documenting this custom, because the area has been affected by tsunamis several times throughout history. Also, as this is a private event carried out within each family, the meaning of Matsu-akashi is not handed down by word of mouth. Even the elder native residents repeatedly answer "I don't know" when asked. Through interviews with temple masters, Shinto priests, and local historians, this documentary portrays the depth of the life-filled prayer that was made to burning the sacred pine.