Central Japan · Yamanashi · Kōfu
Shingen-ko Festival
信玄公祭り
Over a thousand armoured samurai move through Kōfu — three days of reconstructed war.
Next
2–4 April 2027
157 days away
Every year, the 1st Saturday of April, minus 1 day, for 3 days
Future dates: 2 April 2027 · 31 March 2028 · 6 April 2029
Origin
The first edition was held on 12 April 1970, the anniversary of Takeda Shingen’s death. It was formed by merging two existing events: a mounted procession of Shingen’s twenty-four generals, run at the Takeda Shrine festival since 1919, and a cherry-blossom festival dating from 1947. It arrived at a moment of national interest in the battles of Kawanakajima, driven by film and television. Its centre is the *Kōshū Gundan Shutsujin*, which reconstructs Shingen setting out for Kawanakajima against Uesugi Kenshin; in 2012 it is said to have been recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of samurai.
What to look for
The procession falls on the Saturday in the middle of the festival, when more than a thousand armoured samurai take the field. A departure ceremony is held in Maizuru Park; the units — wind, forest, fire, mountain — go out in turn along Heiwa-dōri, and then return to the park. The twenty-four generals lead, and the part of Shingen is taken by a different person each year. The ground is Maizuru Park, on the site of Kōfu castle, and the avenue that runs from it.
How to watch
Stay out of the procession’s line. Road closures around Kōfu station are wide on the day. Most of the armoured samurai are ordinary participants rather than performers, so do not stop the column to photograph it.
If you go
**The procession happens only on the middle Saturday.** Friday and Sunday carry other events, so if the column is what you came for, do not miss the Saturday. Everything is within walking distance of Kōfu station. Early April here is cold morning and night. One caution: **this festival has moved before.** In 2022 and 2023, under the pandemic, it ran in October; it returned to spring with the fifty-first edition in 2025.
Where
Maizuru Park and Heiwa-dōri
Kōfu, Yamanashi
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