2026 Nagashino Matsuri

 I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning! The 2026 Nagashino Matsuri will be held on May 5th. If you have the chance to go, by all means go. There will large teppo squad firing off their guns for the general public. A chance to meet Nobunaga and his friends as well.

Nobunaga no tame!

Nishino Fudo

 The Nishino Fudo Shrine is located in Fudo-cho, Gifu City. Nishino Fudo is located near Nohime's Ihatsutsuka. Nobunaga moved Nishino Fudo to its current location. The four heavenly kings of Gifu Inaba Zenkoji, Oguma Jizo, Nishino Fudo, and Mieji Kannon protect the Gifu area. Inside the Nishino Fudo Shrine is a portrait of Nobunaga's wife Nohime. She is with a dog and the painting is to believed from the Showa Era by the name of Yoshiko. Nishino Fudo is a rare gem related to Nobunaga and Nohime. Let's keep it that way.

Tenka no tame!

2026 Spring Sokenin Update

 I was fortunate enough to visit Daitokuji's subtemple Sokenin this weekend. It was a beautiful day wasxable to visit Nohime and Nobunaga's grave. Sokenin houses the Nobunaga wooden statue constructed by Kousei. Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited. If you want a photograph of the statue, I suggest you buy the Sokenin Nobunaga wooden statue postcard for 200 yen. The staff working at Sokenin were friendly and professional. They do offer English material if you cannot understand Japanese. I plan to make one more visit in the near future.

Nobunaga no tame!

Nanban Mochi Update

 Earlier this year I was able to try the Nanban Mochi. The Nanban Mochi was probably Nobunaga's last request for sweets. I was able to buy a packet of these delicious sweets at Kameya Yoshinaga in Kyoto. The texture of the sweet was chewy. I wrote a short post regarding to the Nanban Mochi last December. The sweet consists of wheat flour, brown sugar, and kudzu starch. Mixed with water, kneaded, and steamed. As for the mochi itself, it was not overly sweet. It goes well with a bowl of matcha. While eating the mochi and drinking the matcha tea, you did feel as if you were in the era of Nobunaga.

Tenka no tame!

Azuchi Miyuki no Ma

 This is an AI video explaining Azuchi Castle and Miyuki no Ma (3:35-5:00 minute mark). The Miyuki no Ma was hall built below the castle tower. Built for the emperor's visit to Azuchi, Miyuki no Ma was similar to Seiryoden of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Recent excavations reveal 119 foundation stones were discovered. It was also built on stilts. Unfortunately, Nobunaga was killed before the emperor made a visit to Azuchi. If the emperor did visit Azuchi while Nobunaga was alive, it would have been a truly unique event.

Nobunaga no tame!

Dodo Bashi

 In keeping up with celebrating Azuchi Castle 450th Anniversary, here is a short post regarding Azuchi Castle Dodo Bashi (bridge).

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 366) The incident happened in 1580.

"Dragon, Forth Month, 11th Day: As Nobunaga was leaving for Mount Chokoji to go hawking, envoys sent by Jinbo Etchu encountered him at Dodo Bridge [below Mount Azuchi] and presented him with two horses."

Tenka no tame!

Kureha Jinja

 Kureha Jinja is located in Ikeda City, Osaka. The shrine is dedicated to the goddess Kurehatori, a weaver from the Qin Dynasty who introduced advanced weaving techniques to Japan.

As for the shrine itself, it was destroyed during the Battle of Arioka Castle 1579 (Itami) between Nobunaga and Araki Murashige (1535-86). Main hall was rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1604.

Nobunaga no tame!