Nikko Toshogu Shrine Autumn Festival

The Autumn Festival at Nikko Toshogu Shrine is held on October 16 and 17 every year in honor of the Tokugawa clan, under whose 260-year rule Japan’s culture flourished. The festival starts with a ceremony at 10:00 AM on the first day, followed by a display of Yabusame (horseback archery) held from 1:00 PM. But it is the procession of 1,000 samurai (百物揃千人武者行列, Hyakumonozoroi Sennin Musha Gyōretsu) held from 11:00 AM on the final day for which the festival is most famous. Here, over 1,200 attendants divided into 53 categories parade to escort portable shrines to the Otabi-sho (Sojourn Hall), a resting point for a shrine during a procession, before returning to Toshogu Shrine to re-enact the burial of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The Yabusame archery on the 16th is held on a specialized 250-meter track along the Sando (main approach); in the event of heavy rain, this specific demonstration is typically cancelled rather than rescheduled. On the 17th, the procession route leads from the shrine down to the Otabi-sho near the Rinno-ji Temple, where traditional Azuma-asobi and Ninmai dances are performed. To witness the final re-enactment of the burial, be prepared to navigate the steep, narrow stone steps leading back to the inner shrine. Local authorities strictly enforce a one-way pedestrian flow during this final phase of the festival to prevent bottlenecks on the mountain paths.