Have you ever wondered what it would be like to partake in a live samurai battle right in Japan? Wonder no more, now you can actually do just that in Spring. If you are planning your travel itinerary to Japan, it is a good idea to get started now as 2020 will be here soon! This event is called the Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri and is held during the Golden Week period in Japan - peak travel season here.
If you use the JR Rail Pass you’ll save tons of money and you’ll have more flexibility with your schedule to travel. You can also use a really cool site called hyperdia to find train routes in English.
Centuries ago, one of the most epic battles in Japanese history was waged right in soul of Japan called The Battle of Kawanakajima! There were 5 battles fought in total - actually 6, but that was never a real battle. The Senkaku Period was Japan’s Civil War, which was actually fought in Nagano, but the current map was totally different than what was in the 15th Century. When planning your trip here, just make sure you come early and be aware that this samurai event is very popular with the locals and domestic travelers from all over Japan.
What makes this festival so appealing is that organizers invite people in the audience to suit up and join in the battle. Both kids and adults really enjoy this and is a ton of fun.
Que emocionante se ve este festival @user_not_found , tus fotos son muy buenas, es una cosa que destaco de esa cultura que llevan a travez de los siglos toda su historia y la reviven en festivales y encuentros haciendo que esos acontecimientos no sean olvidados por generaciones de hoy. Gracias por compartir.
Saludos Farid
For the case that has difficulty, in reading my answer, in the upper left part of the screen, in the drop-down menu of languages, you can select the language, in which you want to read the post.
This is interesting @user_not_found . I always wondered if the Japanese do war re-enactments like what some Americans have clubs or societies that perform historic “Civil War” battle re-enactments in full attire and weaponry…
When did you start going to these epic historical Japanese battles yourself? Do you participate in them yourself?
Hello, @user_not_found
Thank you for sharing this awesome event!
And thank you for tagging me, @KarenVChin
Unfortunately, I have never attended the event or similar events, but I have heard about them. They look so fun for the family.
Battle of Kawanakajima is one of the biggest battles in the Sengoku era (The age of provincial wars in Japan). So the leaders of this battle, Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda are very popular. From a long time ago, Sengoku era stories are popular as a motif of a game, manga, movie, TV show and so forth. I guess such a nice historical event is also popular with a wide range of generations.
@KarenVChin Thank you for your comment. I’m not sure if events like in this post are done in other places in Japan…There is , however, an event held at Yasukuni Shrine on the 15th of August where people dress up in full military attire and march around. I never participate in these event for obvious reasons…haha… but I do have an interest in Civil Wars and how they shaped and impacted the country.
@FaridTDF Thank you for your comments. I have an interest in these civil conflicts because they are what had shaped early civilizations here. You can literally trace the evolution of Japanese culture.
@user_not_found Thank you for sharing this post with us. This is an interesting event. I haven’t attended this event before. Is it a free event? It is nice that some audiences can join the battle.
@user_not_found One suggestion, if you change the 1st photo to reflect the title, it would be great. The cover photo will draw more attention from readers.
P.S. I’m super familiar with Hyperdia, so I know it’s about Japan. But I’m not sure if others know about this.
Hello @KarenVChin , and always thank you for the nice post @user_not_found
In fact, I want to appeal that there are many such mock war events in Tohoku. The name is “Soma Nomaoi” in Fukushima.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
In Minamisoma Fukushima, the neighboring town of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, you can watch horse riding in the summer. It is the largest mock battle in Japan. This colorful flag represents the affiliation of the military during the Sengoku period. Because to avoid a friendly attack.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
At one time it was forced to stop due to the effects of radiation, but now it has been resumed with the enthusiasm of many people. Of course, the radiation level in this area is already low. This event has also been held in the US, UK, Russia, Hawaii and Brazil.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
A rule is a simple one that captures the raised flag. It is a peaceful way of not attacking enemies and horses.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
This is because it is a festival dedicated to the gods of the shrine. “Nomaoi” means “chase and catch a wild horse” in Japanese. The true purpose of this event is to dedicate the horse to God.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
So it’s not just performance. They have been educating horse riding since they were young, and have inherited the tradition as a bloodline.
(Soma Nomaoi in Fukushima@YasumiKikuchi )
They are the people who evacuated when the city was closed. It can be said that they have a modern samurai heart.
@YasumiKikuchi@Ant_Bad_Yogi Now this is beautiful. I think a lot of us foreigners love to see these kinds of events. Thank you for sharing it. There is another event in Kanagawa called Yabusame Matsuri ( horseback archery). @YutaE@Mdomar@teds710sawa@user_not_found
Hermosas fotos @YasumiKikuchi , y un gran complemento al post de @user_not_found , que tan amablemente nos trajo, para contarnos un poco de historia japonesas.
Saludos Farid
For the case that has difficulty, in reading my answer, in the upper left part of the screen, in the drop-down menu of languages, you can select the language, in which you want to read the post.
Gracias a usted @user_not_found , si deseas mirar algunas fotos mias y post, te invito a recorrer algunos post sobre Argentina que tengo en Connect.
Saludos Farid
For the case that has difficulty, in reading my answer, in the upper left part of the screen, in the drop-down menu of languages, you can select the language, in which you want to read the post.
Thank you for sharing this great post. This story is so interesting and I guess many of the Local Guides will be thrilled to attend an epic samurai battle!
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