🏮 Unzen Taimatsu Musha Gyoretsu
雲仙松明武者行列・観櫻火宴
Unzen, Nagasaki (Tachibana Park) · Every year in early March
Official site →175 days to go
Rooms around Unzen, Nagasaki fill up while the festival is on.
Held in spring in Chijiwa Town, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture, the Unzen Taimatsu Musha Gyoretsu and Kangō Kaen (a fire festival) is Nagasaki Prefecture's largest fire festival, in which a total of 200 warriors carry torches to Tachibana Shrine. Participants gather at Fukushi Park, parade through Tachibana Park where cherry blossoms bloom, and then head for Tachibana Shrine. The festival is based on the historical fact that in Tenshō 5 (1577) the Hizen Ryūzōji army attacked and captured Kamafuta Castle in Chijiwa. It reenacts the valiant fighting and farewells of the castle lord Chijiwa Yamato no Kami Sumikazu, his heir Jun'in (Chijiwa Miguel), and the senior retainers as a stirring and profound historical pageant. The procession includes child warriors, coming-of-age warriors, commanders, and female warriors, who advance raising torches with the cry of "iyasaka." On a spring night, 200 torches flicker, creating a magnificent scene unique to Unzen.
Getting there
From JR Isahaya Station, take the Shimatetsu bus bound for Obama or Unzen for 40 minutes, get off at Tachibana Shrine-mae, and it is immediately there. By car, about 23 km from Isahaya IC on the Nagasaki Expressway. Free parking available (200 spaces, including at the city hall branch office).
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Where to stay
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