Image search results - "samurai"

Statue of castle founder and 1st lord, Yuki Hideyasu 結城秀康

Shimizu Bank's relief of Kazutoyo and Chiyo

Demonstration of matchlock guns, Azuchi Nobunaga Festival.Even these people had to obtain police permission to bear and fire these feudal-era guns.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige built in Dec. 2001 to commemorate Chiba city's 80th anniversary. 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

Tokugawa Ieyasu at his base camp

Exhibits inside the castle, a folk and history museum for the Chiba clan and Chiba city.

Statue of Ishida Mitsunari

Tokugawa Ieyasu inspecting the head of his enemies at his base camp

Minamoto no Yoritomo (Hatakeyama Shigetada). His prayers for victory were answered. 源頼朝　隅田川陣営 (畠山重忠)

The most important historical persons in Azuchi's feudal history were represented.

Sekigahara Warland

Shibata Katsuie

Niwa Nagahide 丹羽長秀

The warriors are the procession's main attraction.Waiting near Futarasan Shrine's torii.

Oda Nobunaga 織田信長

Ishida Mitsunari 石田三成

Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉

Ii Naomasa 井伊直政

Hello horse! He was just starting at me. Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu takes up residence in Edo. 徳川家康　江戸入府

Omotesando main promenade. Also see the video at YouTube. 表参道

Lord Ii Naomasa, a right-hand man of Tokugawa Ieyasu and major ally in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Based in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture. 井伊直政徳川家康　江戸入府

Year 1603: Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun. He designates Asakusa Temple as a place of worship, and he worships there himself in 1616. Behind him is his son Tokugawa Hidetada who became the second Tokugawa shogun. 徳川家康江戸入府

Warrior armor displayed on second floor of Himeji Castle tower

Warriors coming down the Omotesando. 武者行列

Face of a samurai.

On Dec. 14, 1702, Asano's 47 masterless retainers avenged their master's death by attacking and beheading Kira at his residence in Ryogoku.義士の討ち入り

Warriors leaving the Otabisho.

Warriors walk back up the slope in front of the Otabisho.

Warriors on Omotesando

Shinsengumi disbanded when the shogunate collapsed and Emperor Meiji became the head of state. The Shinsegumi wore a distinct costume with a light blue haori. 新撰組

Shinsengumi新撰組

Sign near Bannaji temple saying that the warrior procession would start at 7 pm.

On the way to Bannaji temple, this statue of the Ashikaga lord.

Gate to Bannaji temple. It is actually an arched bridge.

Gate to Bannaji temple.

Behind the gate to Bannaji temple.

After going through the gate, there's this path to the temple hall. Now lined with food stalls during the festival.

Plum trees

Bannaji temple main hall.

Carrying wooden boxes of beans.

At one point along the procession route (a major road), there was a rest station where they served free ama-zake (sweet sake). The hot drink warmed us up.

On Feb. 3, the Yoroi Toshikoshi Shuko festival is held in the evening with a warrior procession going to Bannaji. Start of the warrior procession consisting of local children, men, and women. The procession started at Orihime Kominkan. 織姫公民館

Since it is held at night in the middle of winter, dress warmly.

Going over the arched bridge at Bannaji temple.

Yoroi Toshikoshi Shuko festival, Ashikaga, Tochigi.

Once in a while, they would shout a war cry.

Yoroi Toshikoshi Shuko festival, Ashikaga, Tochigi.

I saw at least two foreigners also dressed up as well.

Yoroi Toshikoshi Shuko festival, Ashikaga, Tochigi.

They all entered Bannaji temple by crossing the narrow arched bridge.

Within the grounds of Bannaji temple, they all gathered at this small outdoor stage.

After a few speeches, they got boxes of beans and threw them at us, but only the people up front got hit with beans.

The bean throwing was very short, both time-wise and distance-wise.

The bean-throwing was disappointing at Yoroi Toshikoshi Shuko festival in Ashikaga, Tochigi. Few beans and they hardly reached anybody.

Japan's oldest school.

Little Edo Hikone Castle Festival Parade

Ii clan warriors

Ii Naomasa (井伊直政) (1561-1602 ) was the first lord of Hikone from 1600. He was a general under Tokugawa Ieyasu whom he helped to win the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. He was rewarded with the fief of Omi (now Shiga) and built Hikone Castle.

Hiko-nyan is Hikone's official mascot. A white cat wearing a samurai helmet modeled after Ii Naomasa.

Held annually on Nov. 3, a national holiday (Culture Day), the Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession starts at Yumoto Elementary School at 10 am. About 170 people dressed in feudal-era costume are in the procession. 湯本小学校

Yumoto Elementary School is where the procession started at 10 am. The procession route is quite long, about 6 km. The procession ends at 2:30 pm. 湯本小学校

They had a short ceremony and briefing.

Special guest was former Yokozuna Wakanohana aka Hanada Masaru acting as the daimyo lord. Every year, they have a celebrity as the daimyo.

The procession reenacts the daimyo procession of Okubo Tadazane (Kaga no Kami), lord of Odawara on his way to Edo (Tokyo) for the periodic sankin kotai procession.

Daimyo's wife

Ladies in waiting.

Daimyo's wife is one of the main characters in the procession.

The crowd follows Hanada Masaru.

The Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession started in 1935 on the occasion of the Yumoto Expo. Except for the war years in the 1940s, this festival has been held annually.

You hear, "Shitaaaa-niii, shitaaaa-niiii" (Go down, go down!) by the tsuyu-harai dew sweepers who lead the way to tell people to clear the way and bow in respect. 下ニー　下ニー

These men are the luggage carriers carrying the hasami-bako boxes containing clothing and other necessities. Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu. 挟み箱

Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession on Nov. 3

These are honor guards who carry feather-topped keyari poles and toss them to each other. In the old days, they did this when entering the lodging town. 毛槍

Lead car

The procession is led by this guide car.

Daimyo's palanquin, however, I don't think anyone was in it. They never opened it.

It's quite a long procession route so it's not that crowded much of the way.

About 80 of the costumers are volunteers recruited from the general public. Women volunteers become ladies-in-waiting.

Foot soldiers. 徒士

End of the procession.

At about 11 am, they arrived at Hotel Nanpuso for a 30-min. break. ホテル南風荘

Band played during the lunch break.

At around 11:30 am, the procession resumed. This is Marching Band Hakone 21. マーチングバンド箱根２１

Marching Band Hakone 21. マーチングバンド箱根２１

Marching Band Sirius

Marching Band Sirius マーチングバンド Sirius

Matchlock gunners

At 11:30 am in front of Hotel Okada, the Odawara Hojo Gunners fired matchlock guns. 小田原北條鉄砲衆　ホテルおかだ

They fired twice.

Very loud bang.

Hanada Masaru, former Yokozuna Wakanohana acting as the daimyo lord at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu

Hanada Masaru, former Yokozuna Wakanohana at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu

Hakone geisha

Narrow road

Scenic river

The procession took a lunch break at a hotel called Tenseien from noon to 1:20 pm. 天成園

Walked to Chimoto Bridge near the entrance to the Hakone Yumoto. ちもと

Firing matchlock guns at Chimoto at 2 pm. 小田原北條鉄砲衆

Odawara matchlock gunners 小田原北條鉄砲衆

Hanada Masaru

Hakone geisha on rickshaw

Hakone geisha on rickshaw at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu

Kimono dancers at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu

In front of Hakone Yumoto Station at about 2:10 pm.

Hanada Masaru

Hakone geisha on rickshaw

They even waved at the people in the train station.

The procession crossed the Yumoto Ohashi Bridge and ended at 2:30 pm at Hakone Fujiya Hotel.

Statue of Lord Ii Naomasa (井伊直政 1561-1602 ) in front of JR Hikone Station in 2007.

Statue of Lord Ii Naomasa (井伊直政 1561-1602 ) in front of JR Hikone Station. One of the four great generals (徳川四天王) who helped Tokugawa Ieyasu win the Battle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原合戦) in 1600 to unify Japan and become shogun.

Ieyasu rewarded Naomasa with the strategic domain of Hikone (mainly Hikone, Maibara, Nagahama, Taga), making Naomasa the first Hikone daimyo (feudal lord 大名) in Omi Province (近江国).

Sawayama Castle (佐和山城) came with the domain, but Naomasa did not like it, being outdated and the former castle of Ishida Mitsunari (石田三成) who lost at Sekigahara.

Naomasa planned to build a new castle, but died in 1602 from an old Sekigahara gunshot wound before construction began.

In front of Hikone Station, welcome banners for Hikone Castle's 400th anniversary in 2007 surround a statue of Ii Naomasa.

The following pictures were taken in an earlier year (not 2009). Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession starts at Yumoto Elementary School at 10 am. 湯本小学校

The procession reenacts the daimyo procession of Okubo Kaga, lord of Odawara on his way to Edo (Tokyo) for the periodic sankin kotai procession.

Ladies in waiting. These pictures were taken some time ago (not in 2009). Since I saw it, the procession has gotten larger with more groups.

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