Held every three years during Golden Week at Odawara Castle, the Hōjō Godai Matsuri commemorates the five generations of the late Hōjō clan, who ruled the Kantō region from Odawara Castle for over a century during the Sengoku period. The festival's centerpiece is a grand procession of approximately 3,000 participants dressed in period-accurate samurai armor, period costumes, and feudal regalia, marching from the castle grounds through central Odawara. The castle's spectacular cherry blossoms (if timing aligns) and the dramatic backdrop of Odawara Castle's reconstructed keep make for iconic photography. Battle reenactments, traditional performing arts, and samurai market stalls complete the event.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Culture
- Season
- Spring
- Month
- Early May (Golden Week)
- Region
- Kanto
- Prefecture
- Kanagawa
- City
- Odawara
Highlights
- ◆3,000-person procession in authentic Sengoku-period samurai armor
- ◆Celebrates five generations of the Hōjō clan at Odawara Castle
- ◆Held every three years — a genuinely rare and special occurrence
- ◆Battle reenactments and period-craft demonstrations on castle grounds
- ◆Stunning backdrop of Odawara Castle's reconstructed keep and moat