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Odawara Hojo Godai Festival in Odawara
Odawara Hojo Godai Festival, established in 1960 to mark the postwar reconstruction of Odawara Castle, honors the five generations of the Later Hojo clan who ruled the Kanto region during Japan's Sengoku period. Held each May 3, the festival's 2.7-kilometer procession features roughly 1,700 costumed participants, matchlock gunner demonstrations, and a Fuma Ninja performance.
Odawara Hojo Godai Festival was established in 1960 to celebrate the postwar reconstruction of Odawara Castle, choosing as its theme the five successive generations of the Later Hojo clan, sometimes called Hojo Godai, who ruled the Kanto region from Odawara Castle for roughly a century during Japan's Sengoku period of nearly constant civil war between rival warlords.