News Wanted: foreign samurai at Koedo Kawagoe Spring Festival

[thomas]

A samurai parade held as part of the annual Koedo Kawagoe Spring Festival in the historic city will include non-Japanese participants for the first time. The move aims to entertain inbound tourists with "kacchu" traditional Japanese armour in the city nicknamed "Koedo," or Little Edo, with Edo being the old name for Tokyo. Organized by Shishi-no-Kai, a city-based enthusiast group for samurai armour, the procession will take place on 24 March.

Photo credit: Jin Naganuma​

Participants must be 180 centimetres or shorter with a waistline of 100 cm or less.

"We want to have interviews to decide who can join the parade because it will require about five hours of their time," said Katsuhiro Terada, 79, head of the group. Shishi-no-Kai was founded in 1976 to learn the history of Japanese armor and join various events clad in the protective clothing to pass down its tradition. Some of its about 120 members are also members of a preservation association for matchlock guns handed down to feudal Kawagoe Domain, now part of present-day Saitama Prefecture. They give demonstrations of the antique firearm. Meanwhile, the group will also host an armor exhibition on Feb. 11-12, during which guests can put on samurai armor. The event will be held at Kajimachi Park, which is located alongside the Ichibangai shopping street lined with traditional "kura" warehouses.

Foreign samurai sought for Kawagoe parade for first time | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Maciamo]

Aah, too bad, too tall to join!

 

[thomas]

Haha, same here. I'd probably be fine girth-wise, but I'd be too tall, too. Interestingly, there were a few tall samurai: Miyamoto Musashi was said to be 184 centimetres tall, while one of Ieyasu's vassals was over 190 centimetres (I cannot remember his name, but his yoroi indicated he must have been a veritable giant).