Want to become a Samurai warrior for a day?

Please Join Us at “Hojo Ujiteru Festival 2019”!

Dress up as a Samurai and join our Samurai parade!

Scedule: October 27th (Sunday)　About between 10:00am-4:00pm

Location: Moto-hachioji area, Hachioji City, Tokyo

Costume: We will provide a set of Samurai outfit for you.

Fee: No Charge for the Participation

☆The Number of Armors are limited, Application will Be Accepted on A First-Come-First-Served Basis

☆Please apply via e-mails.

☆All applicants’ names and e-mail addresses are necessary to apply.

☆Contact: Yuko Takayama 

☆ If you have any questions, please contact Yuko Takayama via e-mail.

Organized by NPO group: Hachioji Castle Ruins Mitsu Uroko Club

About Hojo Ujiteru:

Hojo Ujiteru was a Samurai lord during Japanese Warring States Period. Hojos were one of the major Samurai lord family at that time and Ujiteru was the third son of the head of Hojos. His main castle was set up in Hachioji area and his territory extended to current Saitama prefecture at its peak. In the 1580s, he moved to Hachioji Castle (near the current Takao town) from Takiyama Castle. However, a few years later it fell on a single day and Ujiteru was died in 1590.

Local Samurai Parade with hand-crafted Samurai Armor

Do you have any plan for this weekend?

Annual Hojo Ujiteru Festival will take place on October 28^th, Sunday. This festival is a kind of new local event and it is the 7th year of the festival. The locals in Hachioji city started this festival to commemorate a Samurai lord "Ujiteru Hojo" who ruled the area in the Middle Ages. They hand-crafted Samurai armor and ancient style kimono by themselves and use them for the Samurai Parade of this Festival. It is difficult to tell by the looks, but some of the handmade armor was made with iron, same as in the Middle Ages, and weigh about 30kg!

In addition, every year some Samurai Parade groups from Kanagawa prefecture and Saitama prefecture join this festival, because the areas were ruled by the brothers of Ujiteru Hojo. Hojo Family was a powerful Samurai lord family in the Middle Ages and apparently the family bond was very strong. Then, locals from the areas started to unite again through local Samurai Parades. Now folks from Hachioji also join the events in towns connected to Ujiteru's brothers.

Since this festival is relatively new and held in local area of Hachioji, not so many people rush to the festival every year. So, you can enjoy magnificent Samurai parade and more performances without a crowd!

October 28^th (Sunday)

From 12:15 pm to 3:30 pm

The Samurai Parade marches between Seisa Kokusai High School and Moto-hachioji Elementary School in Motohachioji area.

         Performances will take place on the school ground of Moto-hachioji Elementary School. (At Moto-hachioji Elementary School ground, there will be some food stalls.)

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

You Can See Historical Sites Of The Samurai Lords' Time in Hachioji City, Tokyo

On April 1st I introduced a story of Princess Matsu who is a daughter of a famous Samurai Lord "Shingen Takeda" during the Warring States Period of Japan. 

As I wrote previously, Princess Matsu settled in Hachioji city in her later days and established a temple named "Shinshoin" that is still remaining. However in addition to the temple you can see more historical sites of the Warring States Period of Japan in Hachioji city.

Especially the two castle remains called Hachioji Castle Ruins and Takiyama Castle Ruins, shown in the upper row and the middle row of the photos are major historical sites in Hachioji.

Both of them are fort castles from 16th century, and the lord of the castles was Ujiteru Hojo. He is a member of Hojo Family, a powerful Samurai lord house in that era. The head family of Hojo was living in Odawara castle in Kanagawa prefecture. 

Although Odawara castle shown in the bottom row of the photos is a much more famous tourist spot and people can enjoy Samurai style castle there, the building was actually reconstructed in 1960. The current building is the later style of the Samurai era in 18-19th century.

During the Warring States Period of Japan in 16th century buildings and castles were a lot more simpler. Unfortunately there is no actual buildings remaining at these two castle ruins in Hachioji since the castles existed too long ago, but If you'd like to enjoy imagining how the castles in those days might have been, the two spots in Hachioji would be nice places! 

If you are interested in taking a tour to Hachioji Castle Ruins or Takiyama Castle Ruins, please take a look at my "Tour and Fees" page or feel free to contact me!