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, about 7-10 minutes' walk from the festival grounds; by car it is roughly 5 minutes from the Sekigahara interchange on the Meishin Expressway. Admission has been free in past editions, though this has not yet been separately reconfirmed for 2026, and typical event hours have run 10:00-16:00 - dedicated parking and shuttle-bus details for 2026 were not available at the time of writing.