Gifu Nobunaga Festival

Each November, Gifu commemorates Oda Nobunaga's 1567 capture of Inabayama Castle - the victory that gave the city its name - with a costumed mounted procession through the city centre. Local participants play Nobunaga, his rival Saitō Dōsan and other Sengoku-period warlords, escorted by companies of matchlock musketeers, marching from JR Gifu Station through the Yanagase and Kandamachi districts. Since 2022 the festival has run alongside the city's autumn industrial and agricultural fair, adding stage performances and market stalls to the weekend. Past editions have cast the lead role across different stages of Nobunaga's life, including his fearsome 'demon king' persona.

The festival centres on JR Gifu Station and Meitetsu Gifu Station, both within an immediate to roughly 15-minute walk of the procession route. No dedicated event parking or shuttle bus is provided, so drivers should use one of the city's commercial car parks nearby. General attendance is free; a separately ticketed viewing area for the mounted procession is sold online, though 2026 pricing had not been published at the time of writing. The festival runs 10:00-16:00 on both days.