For the Tokyo Paralympics, which starts on the 24th, a fire ceremony was held in 17 municipalities in Saitama prefecture to collect the torch.

Of these, in Kamikawa-cho, four people involved gathered at the Kinzoku Shrine, which is said to have started with the dedication of flint stones, which are tools for igniting fire by Yamato Takeru.

The fire ceremony was held with flint stones, named after the origin of the shrine, and the shrine priest struck stones and hardware against the cotton cloth to disperse the sparks.

The cloth was lit with a faint fire, and when the priest blew on it, the fire gained momentum.



The fire was then transferred from the candles to the lanterns and transported to Asaka, where the fires from 17 municipalities were collected.



Mr. Toshiki Kinzoku, the priest, said, "Since the infection with the new coronavirus is not yet expected to end, I prayed that the Paralympics would be carried out safely with the health of everyone."

An event is being held in Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture to replace the torch relay on public roads of the Tokyo Paralympics, which was canceled in Saitama Prefecture due to the spread of the new coronavirus.



For the Tokyo Paralympics, Saitama Prefecture was planning to collect the fires from 17 cities, towns and villages in the prefecture to make a torch, and about 140 runners would relay the torch on public roads in 6 cities and towns, 7.7 km. Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the torch relay on public roads has been canceled due to the declaration of an emergency in the prefecture.



An alternative event was held at the track and field stadium in Asaka City on the 19th, and in the morning, the fires broke out in 17 cities, towns and villages were collected on the Kyoka stand set up in the stadium, and one torch was fired. became.



And from the afternoon, each runner who was planning to run on the public road has a torch, and a group of about 3 people goes around the track and connects the torch.



At the athletics stadium, a "departure ceremony" will be held from 7:00 pm on the 19th to send the torch to Tokyo.