1 post tagged “shingen”
Well I'm not really sure where to begin, so I'll just dive in and regret it later. I already have a blog on Livejournal, but I thought this looked like a better way to share my pictures and experiences of Japan.
To begin I'm going to look back at some past history. In my town of Kofu there is a big festival every April called the Shingen Kou Matsuri. It is a festival to celebrate Takeda Shingen, the former samurai warlord who ruled the area more than 400 years ago. In honour of his death, they have 'the cavalcade of the 24 generals' in which 24 lucky people get to dress in traditional armour and ride horses through the heart of the city. To participate one had to submit an application and then be selected through a random drawing. And I was lucky enough to take part.
It was a one of my highlights from my time in Japan. I had to wake up really early that morning and put on the armour before spending the rest of the day mounted on a rather irritable horse.
It was also quite a surreal experience, bobbing up and down along the road of the city I've called home for the past few years. Smiling and waving to friends and strangers alike.
A full gallery of the event along with a step by step of me getting into the armour should be found on this blog.
