World SAMURAI Summit in Samurai Heartland, Aichi!!
Aichi has long been recognized as the “Home of the Samurai”, as most of the more famous samurai through history were born in and around Aichi. To celebrate their rich heritage, Aichi Prefecture recently staged the World SAMURAI Summit on the weekend of November 19 and 20. Two days of samurai action and excitement, including samurai parades by samurai from across the nation, demonstrations by traditional samurai sword-smiths, traditional hawking, food and samurai goods stalls too.
Staged at the World EXPO 2005 site in the eastern districts of Nagoya at Nagakute, the grounds were filled with folks in samurai gear, enjoying the stage presentations, talk shows, re-enactments and competitions. There were old samurai, young samurai, very young samurai, women samurai, even foreign samurai! The demonstration of actual battlefield fighting techniques, put on by one of Japan’s most realistic re-enactment groups, had the crowds applauding for more! The event ended with a display of Tezutsu-hanabi, hand held fireworks based on the old samurai signaling flares.
Although the Samurai Summit has finished for now, there are still a few places where you can go to try on samurai armor and have your photo taken all dressed up too. One of the best is Kiyosu Castle, in the western districts of Nagoya City. You can try on the armor, take photos, register yourself on the International Samurai Registry, and receive a certificate. Another great place is Okazaki Castle, birthplace of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Mikawa Bushi and Ieyasu Museum also has armor for visitors to try on.
Above: Samurai Armor Fitting Experience at Kiyosu Castle
Above: Okazaki’s Busho-no-Yakata is another place for Samurai Armor Experience
Hope to see you next year for the next World Samurai Summit in Aichi!
