武田信玄公祭り Shingen-ko Festival (甲府, Kofu in Yamanashi)

※This year will be the 49th Lord Shingen Festival, which was postponed for the first time in three and a half years due to the Covid19.

Various Shingen festivals are held around April 12, the anniversary of Shingen’s death, in Yamanashi Prefecture to commemorate his legacy.The “Lord Shingen Festival” held in the center of Kofu City is usually grandly held from Friday to Sunday before the anniversary of his death (April 12), and on Saturday evening, over 1,000 soldiers from all over the prefecture gather in Maizuru Castle Park to reenact his departure for Kawanakajima.
The scale of the event is one of the largest in the world! The festival has been recognized by Guinness World Records as “the festival with the largest gathering of Samurai.”
Under the glowing bonfire, the 24 brave and valiant Takeda generals surrounding Lord Shingen perform the Sansen-no-miki, a ceremony of going into battle, followed by the departure of the “Wind,” “Forest,” “Fire,” and “Mountain”armies, creating a magnificent yet heroic picture scroll of the Warring States period.

From Shinjuku, Tokyo
Train: Approx. 1 hr. 30 min. on JR Chuo Main Line
via Limited Express “KAIJI” (advance reservation required),
By car: Approx. 2 hours by Chuo Expressway
Highway Bus: Approx. 2 hours and 10 minutes by Chuo Highway Bus (West Exit of Shinjuku Station)

Please check the official web site here! See the map here!

The city is crawling with people wearing armor.On this day, there was also a Halloween costume parade and a Ventforet celebration parade at the same time, so the atmosphere was like a cosplay convention.
Those who knew nothing about it must have been surprised.

Maizuru Castle was open to the public until 2:00 p.m., offering a panoramic view of the Kofu Basin! This flag is not usually seen.
Preparations for the departure ceremony were steadily underway.

A marche was held at the north exit of Kofu Station, attracting many people. Here, I got the MAIZE ice cream I’ve wanted to have so long!!