OTA, Gunma -- People dressed in traditional attire paraded here on Oct. 13 to reenact a local event passed down from the Edo period (1603-1867), which was held for the first time in 10 years.

The "Ota Daimyo Gyoretsu procession" was revived in the Ota shopping district as part of a commemorative project celebrating the 20th anniversary of the merger of the Gunma Prefecture city of Ota with three surrounding towns. The parade was led by an outrider followed by about 70 locals, clad in authentic clothing portraying figures including servants and retainers, to re-create the prestigious procession.

The daimyo procession event is believed to have been initially held as a summer festival sideshow after tools for the real feudal lord parade were discovered in an old family home in a former post town, which is currently the city's Nishihoncho district, in the late Edo period. A preservation society for the event was established in 1906, but due in part to the aging of its members, the event had not been held since 2014.

The latest parade traveled a total of around 800 meters, from the Nishihoncho intersection to the Higashihoncho intersection and back. During the procession, locals dressed up as "yakko-san" servants passed feathered ornamental spears, measuring 5 meters long and weighing 10 kilograms, back and forth, drawing loud applause from spectators watching along the route.

(Japanese original by Seiichi Yuasa, Ota Local Bureau)