Iwakuni - Kintaikyo Festival

Sankin-kotai was a curious but effective government policy enforced through most of the Edo period. It was both a form of military service and a way to curb possible aggression on the part of the hundreds of local daimyo, or feudal lords, who served the Tokugawa shogunate in the capital of Edo, present-day Tokyo.

In essence, every daimyo was required to spend a certain period of time in residence in the capital. Typically, this meant alternating years between Edo and the daimyo’s own home domain, wherever that might be. Additionally, he was required to leave his wife and heirs in the capital city, to be held as hostages if necessary.
The cost of the practice, which involved maintaining two households and making a procession to and from the capital in alternating years, accompanied by a prescribed number of samurai, as well as the captivity of wife and heir in Edo, no doubt kept many a daimyo from rebelling against the shogunate. The practice varied slightly over the years, but the laws enforcing sankin-kotai were in place until 1862.

In Iwakuni, the Kintaikyo Festival held every April 29th commemorates the departure of the local lord for Edo. People dressed as samurai and their wives, usually including a few U.S. Marines from the nearby base, make a stately procession over the bridge. It’s a colorful festival, evocative of old woodblock prints, and in recent years has included a number of historical reenactments, including a demonstration of matchlock marksmanship by local gunners dressed in period garb. Iwakuni’s gun infantry is said to have been first formed by Ishida Mitsunari, a key figure in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which led to the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. Today, of course, the gunners are played by local volunteers, proud of their skills with the antique weapons and offering a rare opportunity to see gunplay in modern Japan. It’s good fun, and usually coincides with the cherry blossoms. If you’ll be visiting western Japan at the time, add this festival to your list.

More Info.(Iwakuni):
Iwakuni City
Kintaikyo Bridge
Hanami (Cherry Blossom Veiwing)
Iwakuni Sushi
Kintaikyo Festival
Cormorant Fishing

Matt Mangham

Shinkansen
Hiroshima station===(JR Sanyo Shinkansen "Kodama", 15min.)===Shin Iwakuni Station===(Bus, 10min.)===Kintaikyo

Shin Yamaguchi station===(JR Sanyo Shinkansen "Kodama", 30min.)===Shin Iwakuni Station===(Bus, 10min.)===Kintaikyo

Train
Hirroshima station===(JR Sanyo Honsen line, 50min.)===Iwakuni station====(by bus,20min.)====Kintaikyo

Shin Yamaguchi station===(JR Sanyo Honsen line, 120min.)===Iwakuni station====(by bus,20min.)====Kintaikyo

Car
Sanyo Express Way, Iwakuni IC====(Route 2, 15 min.)====Kintaikyo