The Matchlock Gun Squad of Nagakute's 'Kego Festival' Arrives

About this event

From the 'Kaede Festival' held every autumn in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture, the matchlock gun squad and staff-fighting squad from the 'Kego Festival' will perform the folk performing art 'Bo-no-te' alongside matchlock rifle demonstrations. In this heroic ritual, horses carry ceremonial decorations (dashi) on their backs, guarded by matchlock gun and staff squads as they parade through the Nagakute district, firing matchlock guns in dedication to Keiko Tenno Shrine and Fuji Shrine. Long held as a harvest festival in the farming villages of Owari and Western Mikawa, the Kego Festival in the Nagakute district has been designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Aichi Prefecture. With the roaring sound of matchlocks and the shouts of Bo-no-te resounding, the event is packed with highlights, such as simultaneous matchlock volleys and 'tatekomi' where riders and horses dash through shrine grounds. This event does not require advance registration and is open to anyone.

Venue

Aichi Satolabo

Otsu-1533-1 Ibaragabasama, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1342