A New Stamp Collecting Activity To Learn Samurai Era History! "Go! The Hojos!"

I introduced a local festival in Hachioji City commemorating a Samurai lord Ujiteru Hojo in my previous post on October 25th, and in the connection I'd like to introduce a new activity event relating to the historical Samurai lord family started recently. It is a collecting-stamps-activity called "Stamp Rally" which I have also introduced on this website on October 19th.

The lower photos are showing the leaflet of the activity. "Stamp Rally" activity is usually common for train lines, but for this one stamps are placed at the historical sites relating "The Hojos", a Samurai lord family in the middle ages. The stamp sites are spreading in 5 prefectures such as Tokyo, Kanagawa prefecture, Saitama prefecture, Shizuoka prefecture, and Okayama prefecture. When people completed to collect 5 different stamps on the leaflet, they can get a pin badge that has an original design of the Hojo family.

Well, you might not be a pin badge collector, but in addition to it you may get a local specialty from one of the 5 prefectures by lottery. The local specialties are mostly traditional craft-works, for example, wooden chopsticks with decorative carving, a pair of pottery tea cups, and a tote bag made of Japanese denim. 

It would be fun to travel around to visit historical sites of Samurai era and learn Japanese history, then you may get a nice traditional item! The lower right end photo shows the stamp of Hachioji Castle which was a castle of Ujiteru Hojo. 

Ujiteru Hojo was the third son of Hojo head-family in the late 15th century, and Ujiteru was entrusted with the defence of the east side of their territory, which is now Hachioji City. The stamp in the photo is placed at the Guidance Center of Hachioji Castle Ruins (location: 3-2664-2, Moto-hachioji-machi, Hachioji City, Tokyo), and it is available while the Center is open. The activity term is between October 1st 2016 and February 28th 2017. 

Hope you can complete it during the period!


Other locations for this Stamp Rally "Go! The Hojos"
Odawara Castle: 6-1, Jonai, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tsukuiko Lake Shiroyama Koen Park Center:162, Negoya, Midori-ku, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tamanawa Furusato House:128, Ueki, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Hakone Town Local Museum:266, Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
Hachigata Castle History Center: 2496-2, Oaza Hachigata, Yorii-machi, Osato-gun, Saitama prefecture
Former Yamazaki Family's Villa:2-7-8, Matsue-machi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Izu-no-kuni City Nirayama Local Museum: 2-4, Nirayama, Izu-no-kuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Yamanaka Castle Guide Center and Shop:410-4, Yamanaka-shinden, Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shuzenji Temple:964, Shuzenji Temple, Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
OH!MOS:14-10, Uchiura-omosu, Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Ihara City Cultural Asset Center, Kodai Mahoroba House:333-1, Ihara-machi, Ihara City, Okayama Prefecture