{"id":17248,"date":"2017-11-10T11:05:10","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T02:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp\/modules\/xpressme\/?p=17248"},"modified":"2018-03-20T10:02:39","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T01:02:39","slug":"matsumoto-castle-fest2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/culture-art\/matsumoto-castle-fest2017\/","title":{"rendered":"A Day of Samurai, Kendo, Taiko, and More at the Matsumoto Castle Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every November on Culture Day, Matsumoto City puts on a huge city-wide festival that features all kinds of Japanese cultural goodies ranging from taiko drum performances to martial arts competitions, to the main event: the samurai parade around downtown!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17259\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17259\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/37585927814_a0eb951240_z-590x443.jpg?resize=590%2C443&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Crowd and samurai parade participants gathered at Matsumoto Castle for the official festival kick-off ceremony\" width=\"590\" height=\"443\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17259\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crowd and samurai parade participants gathered at Matsumoto Castle for the official festival kick-off ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The samurai parade starts off in Matsumoto Castle&#8217;s inner garden, where over one hundred people a dressed in the traditional wear of samurai, soldiers, court officials, and there&#8217;s even a princess. A taiko drum performance (video below!) and a speech by Matsumoto&#8217;s mayor officially kicks off the festivities before the parade procession marches out into the streets. <\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LdSbthXn06M?modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;hl=en\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17251\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17251\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/38167160572_23c9c8dd4c_z-590x394.jpg?resize=590%2C394&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The samurai procession gathering at Matsumoto Castle before heading out\" width=\"590\" height=\"394\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17251\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17251\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The samurai procession gathering at Matsumoto Castle before heading out<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17249\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17249\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/38143037056_cfea74928a_z-590x394.jpg?resize=590%2C394&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Taiko performance in the castle garden\" width=\"590\" height=\"394\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17249\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17249\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taiko performance in the castle garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17250\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17250\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/24346379048_a0bf24104a_z-590x394.jpg?resize=590%2C394&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"One of the most popular members of the samurai procession ;) \" width=\"590\" height=\"394\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17250\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the most popular members of the samurai procession \ud83d\ude09<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Besides the samurai parade and taiko, there were numerous other street performances that included not only traditional culture but also contemporary culture like street dancing and magic shows. I was lucky to run into this dance group in the photo below who performed a traditional women&#8217;s dance in beautiful blue kimono:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17260\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17260\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/38297566141_6a091d9785_z-590x443.jpg?resize=590%2C443&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Traditional dance with autumn leaves\" width=\"590\" height=\"443\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17260\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Traditional dance with autumn leaves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of my personal favorites out of the festival events was the Kendo and Naginata Competition. It took place right in the castle garden, so you could get up close and watch the dueling, <em>hakama<\/em>-clad contestants show off their swordsmanship and naginata (aka polearm) skills. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17253\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17253\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/38143038296_89bcdffe1e_k-590x391.jpg?resize=590%2C391&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Dueling kendo contestants\" width=\"590\" height=\"391\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17253\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17253\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dueling kendo contestants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17252\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17252\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/37488505394_d5d4fb7996_k-590x424.jpg?resize=590%2C424&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"En Garde!\" width=\"590\" height=\"424\" class=\"size-large wp-image-17252\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17252\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">En Garde!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are so many events going on during this festival that it was hard to see them all (there&#8217;s also a big tea ceremony, Japanese archery competition, etc.), but if you missed something this year, you&#8217;ll always have another chance next year on November 3rd! It&#8217;s also a great time to plan a trip to Matsumoto because the autumn leaves are out in full color as well \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p>For more event info, see the <a href=\"http:\/\/welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp\/contents08+index.htm\">event page<\/a> or follow us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matsumotowelcomesyou\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> (we also have a Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pg\/matsumotowelcomesyou\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\">event listing<\/a>).<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-official sd-sharing\"><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><div class=\"fb-share-button\" data-href=\"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/culture-art\/matsumoto-castle-fest2017\/\" data-layout=\"button_count\"><\/div><\/li><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-url=\"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/culture-art\/matsumoto-castle-fest2017\/\" data-text=\"A Day of Samurai, Kendo, Taiko, and More at the Matsumoto Castle Festival\"  >Tweet<\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every November on Culture Day, Matsumoto City puts on a huge city-wide festival that features all kinds of Japanese cultural goodies ranging from taiko drum performances to martial arts competitions, to the main event: the samurai parade around downtown! The samurai parade starts off in Matsumoto Castle&#8217;s inner garden, where over one hundred people a dressed in the traditional wear of samurai, soldiers, court officials, and there&#8217;s even a princess. A taiko drum performance (video below!) and a speech by Matsumoto&#8217;s mayor officially kicks off the festivities before the parade procession marches out into the streets. Besides the samurai parade and taiko, there were numerous other street performances that included [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-official sd-sharing\"><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><div class=\"fb-share-button\" data-href=\"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/culture-art\/matsumoto-castle-fest2017\/\" data-layout=\"button_count\"><\/div><\/li><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-url=\"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/culture-art\/matsumoto-castle-fest2017\/\" data-text=\"A Day of Samurai, Kendo, Taiko, and More at the Matsumoto Castle Festival\"  >Tweet<\/a><\/li><li 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Check out individual events below. You can also bookmark your favorites on our Facebook events page. Castle Festival and Citizen's Festival: Boys and Girls Kendo and Naginata Competition Students\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Culture Art&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/taiko-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":76202,"url":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/events\/samurai-costume-parade\/","url_meta":{"origin":17248,"position":1},"title":"Samurai Costume Parade","date":"2010.11.15","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year Nov 3 is the day of Matsumoto Citizen's Festival and Matsumoto Castle Festival. The main event of the festivals is a samurai warrior costume parade held in the afternoon. It starts at Matsumoto Castle, parades around downtown, and comes back to the castle two hours later. This year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/musha4-1.jpg?fit=398%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":148,"url":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/events\/summer-festival-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":17248,"position":2},"title":"Summer Festival Season","date":"2010.7.29","format":false,"excerpt":"Now, the summer festival season started! In downtown Matsumoto and the Fukashi Shrine, Tenjin Matsuri (heavenly gods sky festival) is held on July 24th-25th every year. This year, the dates are Saturday and Sunday; so many people came to join the festival. It is fun and a good opportunity for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15952,"url":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/history\/matsumoto-city-museum-a-good-dose-of-castles-samurais-and-matsumoto-culture\/","url_meta":{"origin":17248,"position":3},"title":"Matsumoto City Museum - A Good Dose of Castles, Samurais and Matsumoto Culture","date":"2017.5.3","format":false,"excerpt":"Matsumoto celebrates its city anniversary on May 1st of every year by opening all the city museums to visitors free of cost - the perfect chance to go explore a few places in the city. \u00a0I chose to check out the Matsumoto City Museum, which is right next to Matsumoto\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;History&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/34234422122_caf30a7806_k-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17952,"url":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/events\/ameichi-candy-festival-matsumotos-sweetest-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":17248,"position":4},"title":"Ameichi Candy Festival: Matsumoto's Sweetest Event","date":"2018.1.18","format":false,"excerpt":"What I've come to learn about Matsumoto since moving here is that the city seems to just love their huge street festivals. Not even the frigid winter is going to stop them from putting on couple of lively days of merrymaking like at last weekend's Ameichi, a.k.a the Candy Festival.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/IMG_2219-640x426-590x393-1.jpg?fit=590%2C393&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":91181,"url":"https:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/fr\/events\/ameichi-candy-festival-matsumotos-sweetest-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":17248,"position":5},"title":"Ameichi Candy Festival: Matsumoto's Sweetest Event","date":"2018.1.18","format":false,"excerpt":"What I've come to learn about Matsumoto since moving here is that the city seems to just love their huge street festivals. 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