[Sakai City Hall] Maruoka Old Castle Festival (Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture) scaled up; 100 handmade armor and helmets went to battle, tug of war in front of the castle tower
*Sakai City Hall*
Press release: September 6, 2024
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Maruoka Castle Festival (Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture) scales up; 100 handmade armor and helmets go to battle, tug-of-war in front of the castle tower
*Business trip on October 12th and 13th to commemorate the birth of the Maruoka clan! Held simultaneously with Castle EXPO*
The Maruoka Castle Festival will be held on October 12th and 13th at the castle grounds of Maruoka Castle, one of the 12 existing castle towers in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Maruoka Domain, which ruled the area as a castle lord during the Edo period, and the festival will be held at the same time as the “Castle EXPO” event, which attracts castle fans from all over the country. Scale up above. The number of helmets and armor handmade by citizens over the past 12 years has reached 100 units, and local residents including junior high school students will appear in a samurai parade for the first time this year. A tug-of-war between 120 people will be held for the first time to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Maruoka clan.
The handmade armor and helmets were made by citizens over an 11-year period.On the day of the event, 100 soldiers will take part in the warrior procession.
The Maruoka Castle Festival is the largest festival in the castle town that has been held since the old Maruoka Town era, and this year marks the 55th festival. In the squares and streets surrounding the castle tower, which is also an important cultural property, the town becomes lively with events such as warrior parades and citizen dances. The biggest highlight was the matchlock demonstration, which reenacted the “Kissho” custom of the former feudal lord, the Arima family, firing a matchlock gun salute on New Year’s Day every year. Members of the Echizen Matchlock Preservation Society fired off powerful guns with a roaring sound. Expand your performance.
* ◆Highlights of the Kojo Festival (new information) *
1. Armor parade with 100 armored helmets
Last year, we performed a 90-ryo warrior procession. This year, we will power up and have 100 territories. Citizens wearing these “handmade armor and helmets” will participate in the warrior procession and hold a heroic parade that also serves as an unveiling. 【overview】
Date and time: October 13th (Sunday) 10:30-11:30
Location: West side of the Maruoka Castle castle tower. Start from the street in front of the castle tower park towards the Fureai Plaza. Producer: “General Incorporated Association Citizens’ Association to Make Maruoka Castle Castle a National Treasure”
Production period: 12 years
Number of people involved: 6 to 10 people
Contents: Belly armor for advanced samurai, 45 areas (33 areas for adults, 12 areas for children), Sugake Odoshi two-piece body armor, 55 areas (40 areas for adults, 15 areas for children)
Total 100 territory
2. Battle of Kasumigajo (Tug of war)
For the first time this year, a total of 120 people will hold a tug-of-war before the armor parade. It is a showdown between the core generation that has supported the festival up until now and the young samurai generation who will be responsible for the future festival and town development of the castle tower. We created the “Battle of Kasumigajo” with the desire to leave this festival unchanged forever and to entrust the future from the core generation to the young. The showdown will only take place once.
【overview】
Date and time: Sunday, October 13th, starting around 10am
Location: West side of Maruoka Castle castle tower, on the street in front of the park in front of the castle tower
Content: Tug-of-war showdown between “Core Generation Allied Forces (approximately 60 people)” VS “Young Samurai Allied Forces
(approximately 60 people)”
Theme: Bandai Fuyuki ~ Gathering, Entrusting ~
3. Main performance “Matchlock gun performance”
In the former Arima family of the Maruoka domain, an event called “Kichisho” was held in the early morning of New Year’s Day, in which five ceremonial matchlock guns were fired toward the west. We will perform matchlock gun firing again this year with the hope of making this matchlock gun performance based on a local story take root in Maruoka and transmitting the value of this culture to the world through Maruoka Castle.
【overview】
Date and time: Sunday, October 13th, starting around 11:30
Location: Fureai Square
4. Hoyamaru Sakai unveils new hat
Sakai City’s official character “Sakai Hoyamaru” has lost all his hats except his “Tojin hat.” We solicited ideas for new hats and received over 700 ideas from all over the country. This time, we will be wearing a new hat selected from among them and showing it off. * ◆Time schedule*
Saturday, October 12th
Castle Festival (Main venue: Fureai Plaza) Castle EXPO (Maruoka Gymnasium) 9:00~ Doors open
9:30～9:50 Opening Ceremony Opening Ceremony *Joint
AM “Hayashi Kataiko Taiko Show”
“Sakai Hoyamaru Show” *New Hoyamaru hat unveiled
“My lord, I’m going to act like a big fan.” *Sweet-throwing limited to elementary school students and younger 11:00-12:30
*Doors open 10:30
Lecture “Charm and Highlights of Castles – Focusing on Castles in Echizen and Wakasa” *Charges apply
Mr. Tetsuo Owada
PM “Introducing the achievements of Mr. Taikichi Arata, who
contributed to the reconstruction and restoration of the Maruoka Castle castle tower”
“Maruoka Castle〇×Quiz”
“Yufu Terashima Idol Live”
Other stage events 13:30-15:00
* Doors open at 13:00 Talk session “Rereading the castles and battles of the Sengoku period – Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, Shingen -” * Paid Mr. Yoshihiro Senda, Mr. Yu Hirayama
15:20-16:50 Panel discussion “Maruoka Domain and Maruoka Castle Tower” Mr. Yoshinori Ura, Mr. Yukiharu Makino, Mr. Junichi Yoshida, Akihiro Kado Curators
~17:00 Closed
18:00～19:00
*Doors open at 17:30
Concert commemorating the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Maruoka clan “Shiromi no Shirabe” (Otenjyu-mae Park)
Premium concert by Hideki Togi
Sunday, October 13th
Castle Festival (Main venue: Fureai Plaza) Castle EXPO (Maruoka Gymnasium) 9:00~ Karakuri Dashi parade
*Scheduled to tour two districts: Castle Town District and Takagura District 9:00~ Doors open
9:20~ New Year’s Arrival Ceremony (Kokugami Shrine)
*The first ceremony of wearing armor for young warriors by junior high school students
*First time as an old castle festival
9:30~ Memorial service for the castle lord (Maruoka Castle tower) *Memorial ceremony for 17 successive castle lords 9:30-9:50
Presentations by elementary school students from Maruoka Castle Town Tentative title: “We and Maruoka Castle”
10:00-10:30 Battle of Kasumigajo (on the street in front of the park in front of the castle tower) 10:00-10:20 Maruoka Castle told by the “lord of the castle”
10:30-11:30 Echizen Maruoka Warrior Parade (from the street in front of the castle tower to the Fureai Plaza)
*A brave warrior procession of about 150 people 10:30-10:45 Local character stage by Hoyamaru Sakai, Hikonyan, and General Warunyanko 10:45-12:00 Sakai City related video exhibition
11:30-12:30 Gun Corps Demonstration (Fureai Square)
*Demonstration by Maruoka Domain Arima Gun Corps
13:00-14:30 EXPO talk event broadcast screening (Kojo Festival Stage) 13:00-14:30
* Doors open 12:30 Talk event “This place is amazing! What is the charm of Maruoka Castle” * Advance application
Mr. Hideki Takahashi, Mr. Kyodai Kurihara
15:00-17:00 All dance
*Bamba Odori and Maruoka Ondo ~17:00 Closed
17:30-18:00 All-round dance award ceremony
18:00-18:30 Finale
*Throwing sweets
◆“Business trip! Held on the same day as “Castle EXPO in Sakai/Maruoka Castle 2024”
Japan’s largest castle festival is held every year in Yokohama. The purpose is to interact with people who like castles. The on-site version will be held for the first time in Maruoka, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture.
【overview】
Date: October 12th (Sat) and 13th (Sun), 2024
Event time: 9:00-17:00
Admission fee: Free *There are also paid talk events.
Venue: Maruoka Gymnasium (3-1-2 Kasumi-cho, Maruoka-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture)
Sponsored by: Business trip! Castle EXPO in Sakai/Maruoka Castle Executive Committee
Contents:
・Special exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Maruoka Domain
・Municipal booth exhibition, product sales booth,
・Event stage ・Selected program
・Japan’s 100 Famous Castles & Continued Japan’s 100 Famous Castles Panel Exhibition
・Basic castle knowledge & model exhibition, etc.
URL: https://shiroexpo-sakaimaruokajo.jp/
*Contents are subject to change.
◆Guided tours of Maruoka Castle are also held.
This is a guided tour where you walk through the castle town while holding an old map of Maruoka Castle and visit the family temple of the Maruoka feudal lord. This is a walk-rally-style tour that takes you back to the castle town of Maruoka, which has changed over time, and explores the 400-year history of the Maruoka clan.
Click here for details https://kanko-sakai.com/event/4267/