🎎 Gifu Nobunaga Festival

The representative autumn event in Gifu City, the "Gifu City Industry and Agriculture Festival - Gifu Nobunaga Festival," celebrates the warlord Oda Nobunaga, who aimed to unify the country and based his operations at Gifu Castle, built by his father-in-law Saito Dosan. This festival takes place on the first weekend of November for two days, featuring various activities around Gifu Station. The festival kicks off with the "Nobunaga Memorial Ceremony" held at Sōfuku-ji Temple, where Nobunaga's ancestral temple is located. Other activities include the "Gifu Castle Warring States Picture Scroll," which showcases stories related to Nobunaga and Gifu Castle on stage, and the "City Time Travel Event," where participants dressed as Warring States warriors and local residents stroll through the streets of Gifu, immersing the entire city in the festival's excitement. The highlight of the festival is the "Nobunaga Cavalry Procession," which takes place on the second day. Numerous Warring States warriors, princesses, and a gunner squad wielding matchlock guns parade through the main streets of the city, creating a magnificent and vibrant scene reminiscent of the era. Additionally, every year on the first weekend of April, the "Gifu Festival Co-sponsored Dosan Festival" is held to honor Saito Dosan, featuring a parade through the city center and other activities. This festival has a history of over fifty years and is beloved by the local community. *Please note that event details may change.

To honor Oda Nobunaga, who contributed to the development of Gifu, an autumn festival is held in the center of Gifu City. The two-day festival features various activities from around Gifu Station to the Yanase shopping district. The highlight is the "Nobunaga's Mounted Warrior Parade," where Nobunaga, as well as other warriors like Dosan, and princesses, along with a gunner team, parade through the streets. At the same time, the "Gifu City Agricultural Festival" is held in front of JR Gifu Station. In spring, there is also the "Dosan Festival" to honor Saito Dosan.