 The wood is kept burning in a "hitaki" (woodburning den) for 59 days.The origins of the festivals can be traced back 700 years from the "Aso-jinja-shinnoubutsu-chumon-utsusi", an old book detailing the chronicles of Aso shrine.According to an interview with several priests at Aso shrine, the legend of Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto and the formation of Aso City, is as follows