Shiraishi City's Oni Koshiro Matsuri is so handsome.

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When we think of traditional Japanese festivals, the first thing that comes to mind is fireworks displays, yukata, traditional dances, food stalls and goldfish fishing.

If you've been to a lot of festivals, I think you've gotten tired of them.

Today, we are going to introduce you to a festival that is out of the ordinary:

Underneath the ruins of an ancient Japanese city, you'll be able to watch Warring States generals posing in formation, an attack by a team of iron cannons, ninja stunts, and 1v1 one-on-one battles between generals!

Shiraishi City, which I had never even heard of before my visit. It is a small city located near Sendai, at the foot of the Zao Mountains, one of Japan's most famous tourist destinations. Shiraishi Zao Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen is also a former stop in Sendai.

Although it is quite a small tourist attraction, the annual “Oni-Ojuro Festival” attracts many history buffs, especially those who are fans of the Warring States period. The festival lasts for a whole day, and several performances are held next to Shiraishi Castle, a remnant of Shiraishi's old town.

The theme of the festival is, of course, Koshiro Katakura, the lord of Shiraishi Castle during the Warring States period.

To participate in this festival, all you have to do is check the date of the year and come directly to Shiraishi Castle. There are various stalls set up by local residents at the bottom of the castle, selling souvenirs as well as many Sengoku-themed experiences, and many young people will cosplay as Sengoku warriors or characters.

There is also an experience of dressing up as a warlord of the Warring States period, and you can have your picture taken in replica Katakura Kojuro armor.

In addition to games and food from the various stalls outside, you can also go inside Shiraishi Castle for a tour. Meanwhile, there are various performances on the large lawn outside without interruption.

For example, in the morning there is a traditional human ladder acrobatic show, accompanied by taiko drums and the rhythmic singing of the performers in a unique old Japanese style.

The centerpiece also featured Sato Takeshi, a little-known Japanese street painting artist, who created two Warring States-themed ink drawings in seven minutes using only a roller brush. Japanese festivals tend to have only somewhat traditional things to see, but I was also a little surprised by how closely this performance was tied to modern art.

Of course, the highlight of the show was the “Katakura's Army vs. Sanada's Army Osaka Summer Battle of Domyoji” in the late afternoon.

This is a large-scale performance in which many people participate in the battle between Kojuro Katakura and Yukimura Sanada in 1615. It was his bravery in this battle that made him famous as “Oni Kojuro” in the Warring States period.

I've seen a lot of festival performances, but this one in Shiraishi Castle is the most sincere.

During the first part of the show, soldiers from both sides would make their rounds, not only infantry, but also the Iron Cannon Corps, also known as the Gunners, which had not long appeared at the time.

This wasn't just a cosplay dress-up for fun, the gunmen would actually perform firing their weapons! I don't know much about weapons, but after the firing, the actors would take out long sticks and poke them into the guns, as if they were really using muskets from the old days.

And the women's archery team that appeared afterward was also valiant. These little sisters were also selected from the real Bowdoin Department and would perform archery on the spot.

For showmanship, even the ninjas were sliding down from the top of Shiraishi Castle.

After the main characters make their appearances, it's time to enact the entire Battle of Domyoji. It will be interspersed with ninja reconnaissance, field melee, the whole process without urination point.

There are also a lot of small eggs in the melee, such as a few soldiers were surrounded, the military general rushed up to rescue; soldiers detour, shouting, mending and so on. The richness of the details, the information is so large, let a person watch once still feel not enough to enjoy.

The climax of the show is, naturally, the one-on-one one-on-one fight between Koshiro Katakura and a local martial artist. The fight scene is as exciting as it is flowing.

This story is actually not only about fighting and killing, but also includes a great story full of human feelings.

Yukimura Sanada, knowing that he will die soon when the tide has turned, is very worried about what will happen to his children.

Oni Kojuro was his enemy, but at the same time an enemy to be admired. So Sanada entrusted his daughter to Koshiro with a secret message.

Even more surprisingly, Kojuro Katakura also privately agreed to Sanada Yukimura's wishes and married Mei, and the two remained in love until old age.

Regardless of any era, people's feelings are not black and white, they all have complex intertwined destinies.

This emotional scene, the performance is also in the heart, sitting in the scene I almost shed tears.

The whole hour and a half performance, with fire fights and plots, laughter and tears, until now makes me think about watching it again next year!

Since Shiraishi City is a Zao area, rest assured that skiing, hot springs, ryokan (inns) and gourmet food are all available.

The hotel we stayed at that night was the most comfortable onsen hotel we've stayed at in the past six months of traveling. Although the room facilities are all new, the building itself is very old, and you can even see some space design ideas left over from when contemporary architectural styles were just becoming popular.

Shiraishi is part of the Sendai region, so zunodan (crushed mozuku beans), as well as chicken and eggs, are local specialties. If you see egg-flavored ice cream or green rice cake in the picture below, don't hesitate to try it!

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These little places in Japan never cease to amaze me, making me feel that there are still many unknown treasures to be discovered in places I have yet to set foot.

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