Arquebus 2
Where do we go finding of Arquebuses next?
Another answer is visiting a firing performance.
There are many regional festivals featuring Japanese history all around Japan. At some festivals, firing Arquebuses performances are the main feature. Furthermore, some of the performances are quite expectable. So, we selected one festival and visited Okazaki city of Aichi prefecture this time.
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| Firing performance of real Arquebuses |
The festival's name is "Ieyasu-Gyoretsu". And we can view a firing performance of real Arquebuses. It's held at the 2nd Sunday of April every year.
It is also a season of cherry blossoms viewing. This festival's main venue is near the Okazaki castle which is one of famous cherry blossoms viewing sites.
This year's festival was held when 'sakura' or cherry blossoms was fully bloomed. So, there was tremendous number of audience came to see this festival and fully bloomed cherry blossoms.
Okazaki city of Aichi prefecture
Ieyasu-Gyoretsu
Okazaki castle
"Ieyasu-Gyoretsu" is literally a parade. However, the festival has two parts of performances. The first half is the parade in which over 700 attendees wear fake Samurai battle armors of the Sengoku era. And the later half is the short play of the attendees in which firing Arquebuses are held.
Okazaki city of Aichi prefecture
Ieyasu-Gyoretsu
Okazaki castle
"Ieyasu-Gyoretsu" is literally a parade. However, the festival has two parts of performances. The first half is the parade in which over 700 attendees wear fake Samurai battle armors of the Sengoku era. And the later half is the short play of the attendees in which firing Arquebuses are held.
Then why the parade is called "Ieyasu-Gyoretsu"? Ieyasu-Gyoretsu's Ieyasu means Tokugawa Ieyasu. And he was born at the Okazaki castle, so he is the most famous person in Okazaki city even now.
We think you know Japanese history very well, so, you also memorize that Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Edo shogunate or feudal government of the Edo. Citizens of Okazaki city proud the fact and they treat him as a honarary citizen.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
the Edo shogunate
Originally, this festival featured Honda Tadakatsu. Honda Tadakatsu was also one of very famous Sengoku warriors. He was a senior vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Accordingly, he is also a celebrity of Okazaki city even now. This festival was originally held at October 18th when Honda Tadakatsu had died around 400 years ago.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
the Edo shogunate
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| Ieyasu-Gyoretsu parade (from Okazaki City HP) |
Originally, this festival featured Honda Tadakatsu. Honda Tadakatsu was also one of very famous Sengoku warriors. He was a senior vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Accordingly, he is also a celebrity of Okazaki city even now. This festival was originally held at October 18th when Honda Tadakatsu had died around 400 years ago.
According to Honda Tadakatsu's legendary story, he was invulnerable like Wyatt Earp, a famous American sheriff. He fought at countless battles and had no injury throughout his whole life. Moreover, in another this kind of story, one enemy general saw him fighting bravely in front of his group. And that general said 'How disappointing! He would be my senior vassal in my side!' So, he was loved as a brave warrior by so many famous Sengoku lords.
Honda Tadakatsu
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| Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu at Okazaki castle |
How to visit the festibal site?
Compared with Shitaragahara historical museum, visiting Okazaki city is far convenient. We also start Osaka station.
Osaka station ⇒ Shin-osaka ⇒ (Shinkansen Super Express "Nozomi") ⇒ Nagoya ⇒ (Meitetsu Super Express) ⇒ Higashi-Okazaki ⇒ (by walk) ⇒ Event site
If you start at 8 o'clock from Osaka station, you will arrive Higashi-Okazaki station (the nearest station of the event site) around 10:30. Higashi-Okazaki station is very convenient for the travelers.
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| Meitetsu Super Express |
The festival starts afternoon. Then, if you want to visit the event site at starting time, you should start your exploration at 9:30. But, we suppose there will be a tremendous turnout, so you'd better arrive a little earlier for your seats.
Appreciate the event
"Ieyasu-Gyoretsu" starts 1:30 from the Iga-hachimangu shrine which is located approximately 2 kilometer north of the Okazaki castle.
Iga-hachimangu shrine
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| Parade starts Iga-hachimangu shrine |
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| Parade goes through (from Okazaki City HP) |
The parade goes down to south through downtown of Okazaki city. They arrive at the venue (a dry riverbed of the Otsu river near the Okazaki castle) around 3 o'clock.
Otsu-gawa
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| Okazaki castle (from Okazaki City HP) |
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| Event was held at dry riverbed |
In front of the main event area is a bank of Otsu river covered with stair-like concrete bank. This concrete bank becomes seats of the audiences.
Firing real Arquebuses performances were held 2 times in this event.
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| Trenendous people come (from Okazaki City HP) |
First one started at 2 o'clock. Almost around 1 o'clock there was no empty space around us. There was tremendous turnout. (This event is hugely popular!)
The parade arrived at 3:30. Front of the parade were boy warriors, and after the boy warriors, many groups continued.
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| Parade of girls warriors |
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| The horsemen also attend |
Performance of firing Arquebuses
Why we can see real Musket matchlock guns firing performance? Because there are some groups of firing Arquebuses or Musket matchlock guns in Aichi prefecture. Then, these groups come to warm up this festival.
Firing Arquebuses are performed at many regional festivals featuring Japanese historical episode. According to a book on Arquebuses, 43 groups are active in Japan and they act firing perfomances at 125 festival sites every year.
The firing in "Ieyasu-Gyoretsu" is performed by Aichi-prefecture-kojyu-kennkyuukai-houjyutsutai (愛知県古銃研究会砲術隊). Ten and more member fired useing their own Arquebuses.
The performances were held in several styles. First, they fired in unison. And next, the fire was held in order. And next, by small groups.
Aichi-prefecture-kojyu-kennkyuukai-houjyutsutai
Sound of gunfire and smell of powder covered around the event site. Each Arquebuses didn't load a ball. They fired only blank cartridges. However, terrible roar dominated the site. The members put on their performance orderly and briskly.
The performance time was only 20 minutes. Nevertheless, we were captured the world of Arquebuses.
The end of Arquebuses
High-tech weapon in the Semgoku era, "Hinawa-jyu" was experienced many changes. And ironically saying, it became like performance repeater now.
Hinawa-jyu
As soon as Arquebuses were introduced in Japan, domestic producing soon spread all over Japan. The tecnical system was completed before introduced, so Japanese had no time developing technology. Consequently, Japanese people at that time focused on mass production only. The Sengoku era was soon ended several decades later. Therefore, further technical development wasn't needed.
After this moment, focus point was changed from technical innovation to manners. They needed the information how to improve their shooting technique but to innovate their guns performance. Arquebus shooting changed from high-tech weapon to one of Budo or training of personal ability.
Furthermore, the technique of shooting changed one of martial arts named "Hou-jyutsu". The way of behavior was sharpened in the Hou-jyutsu world. However, no innovation produces no importance.
Hou-jyutsu
By contrast, the technological innovation of guns was continued in Europe. When Japanese met Europian people again, the technical difference in guns was poles apart.
And at the period when 250 years had passed after the end of the Sengoku period, people payed no attention to old Arquebuses. They made every effort to get new-type guns. Until Arqurbuses became useless in the battle fields of Japan, approximately 300,000 were produced in total. Almost were discarded in a very short interval at the end of Edo shogunate. The guns we looked at in "Sitaragahara historical museum" were only 100 among 300,000.
Guns are continuously used in battle fields nowadays. Their importance isn't unshakable in modern age time. We suppose necessity of guns have never desuetude. In addition, the technology of weapons has been ever developed. Modern guns are totally changed to the forms from Arquebus-like shape.
Nowadays, most of all Japanese have no necessity to be face-to-face with guns. They changed such people who would be surprised even with the sound of Arquebus performance. This phenomenon may testify that they live in peace.
When enjoy Arquebus performance, we can't help considering our ancestors effort to accomplish our peaceful life.
Opinion described here is personal one's. And we're a little afraid these descriptions aren't accurate somewhere. Please accept all of them in your big-heart.
Aichi-prefecture-kojyu-kennkyuukai-houjyutsutai
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| Performance of firing |
Sound of gunfire and smell of powder covered around the event site. Each Arquebuses didn't load a ball. They fired only blank cartridges. However, terrible roar dominated the site. The members put on their performance orderly and briskly.
The performance time was only 20 minutes. Nevertheless, we were captured the world of Arquebuses.
The end of Arquebuses
High-tech weapon in the Semgoku era, "Hinawa-jyu" was experienced many changes. And ironically saying, it became like performance repeater now.
Hinawa-jyu
As soon as Arquebuses were introduced in Japan, domestic producing soon spread all over Japan. The tecnical system was completed before introduced, so Japanese had no time developing technology. Consequently, Japanese people at that time focused on mass production only. The Sengoku era was soon ended several decades later. Therefore, further technical development wasn't needed.
After this moment, focus point was changed from technical innovation to manners. They needed the information how to improve their shooting technique but to innovate their guns performance. Arquebus shooting changed from high-tech weapon to one of Budo or training of personal ability.
Furthermore, the technique of shooting changed one of martial arts named "Hou-jyutsu". The way of behavior was sharpened in the Hou-jyutsu world. However, no innovation produces no importance.
Hou-jyutsu
By contrast, the technological innovation of guns was continued in Europe. When Japanese met Europian people again, the technical difference in guns was poles apart.
And at the period when 250 years had passed after the end of the Sengoku period, people payed no attention to old Arquebuses. They made every effort to get new-type guns. Until Arqurbuses became useless in the battle fields of Japan, approximately 300,000 were produced in total. Almost were discarded in a very short interval at the end of Edo shogunate. The guns we looked at in "Sitaragahara historical museum" were only 100 among 300,000.
Guns are continuously used in battle fields nowadays. Their importance isn't unshakable in modern age time. We suppose necessity of guns have never desuetude. In addition, the technology of weapons has been ever developed. Modern guns are totally changed to the forms from Arquebus-like shape.
Nowadays, most of all Japanese have no necessity to be face-to-face with guns. They changed such people who would be surprised even with the sound of Arquebus performance. This phenomenon may testify that they live in peace.
When enjoy Arquebus performance, we can't help considering our ancestors effort to accomplish our peaceful life.
Opinion described here is personal one's. And we're a little afraid these descriptions aren't accurate somewhere. Please accept all of them in your big-heart.
