Setsubun Armor Festival

Every year in February, Ashikaga City hosts a spectacular and historic event known as the Setsubun Armor Year-Cross. This traditional festival, held on the night of Setsubun, marks the end of winter and the welcoming of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar.

The Event

The highlight of the celebration is a grand armour parade, in which about 200 participants, including local citizens, march through the city’s traffic-restricted main streets. Dressed in full samurai armour reminiscent of the Bando region warriors, they proceed from the Orihime Community Center to Bannaji Temple, the historic family temple of the Ashikaga clan.

Upon arrival at Bannaji Temple, the participants gather at the temple’s Main Hall, designated a National Treasure, where the traditional Tsuina Ceremony (drive away misfortune) takes place. This ritual is performed to drive away evil spirits and pray for good fortune in the year ahead.

What is Setsubun?

Setsubun, literally meaning “seasonal division”, is celebrated annually on February 3rd across Japan. It symbolises the end of winter and the beginning of spring. A central custom of Setsubun is the mamemaki (bean-throwing) ritual, where roasted soybeans are thrown to expel misfortune and invite happiness.

In Ashikaga, Setsubun is given a distinctive samurai flair through the Armor Year-Cross, linking the seasonal festival with the city’s proud warrior heritage.

Historical Roots

The origins of the Armor Year-Cross date back to the Kamakura period, about 750 years ago, when the powerful samurai Ashikaga Yasuuji gathered 500 warriors at Bannaji Temple to honour the Ashikaga family. Over a century later, his descendant Ashikaga Takauji rose to become the first shogun of the Muromachi period, solidifying the clan’s legacy in Japanese history.

Although the event fell into decline during the late Edo and Meiji periods, it was revived in 1915 by a group of local textile workers. Since then, it has been preserved as one of Ashikaga’s most important traditional events.