Sekigahara Battle Festival

Every October, Sekigahara stages the Battle of Sekigahara Festival, the small Gifu Prefecture town's biggest annual event, built around a full-scale costumed re-enactment of the 1600 battle that ended the Sengoku period and opened the way to the Tokugawa shogunate. Around 110-120 volunteer reenactors in hand-made armour split into the historical Eastern (Tokugawa) and Western (Ishida) forces for a staged clash, preceded by a samurai procession and a matchlock-musket demonstration troupe. The action plays out across the Jinbano grounds and Mt Sasao, the actual hillside where Ishida Mitsunari commanded his army in 1600, giving visitors a reenactment staged on genuine historical ground. The festival is timed to the weekend closest to 21 October, the anniversary of the real battle.

The nearest station is JR Sekigahara on the JR Tokaido Main Line between Ogaki and Maibara; the Jinbano venue is about 5 minutes' walk from it, while the Mt Sasao venue is about 20 minutes' walk. By car it is roughly 5 minutes from the Sekigahara interchange on the Meishin Expressway, but the organiser expects crowds and recommends public transport. Five car parks are signposted for the festival (three near the venues plus the Momo Haiun Sports Park and the Menard Land site, roughly 1,900 spaces in total) with live availability shown on event days; no shuttle bus or parking fee is mentioned. Admission has been free in past editions and has not been separately reconfirmed for 2026, though some activities need advance registration; stage programmes run between 10:00 and 16:00 on both days.