Aizu Autumn Festival

This is the largest festival in Aizu and is held over 3 days from the 22nd to the 24th of September every year. There are many events at the festival such as the parade of elementary school marching bands, the lantern parade and the Aizu Bandai-san dance but the biggest event is the parade of the Aizu "daimyos".

In this parade a number of volunteers dress up in samurai costumes and ride on very large, heavy horses through the city. They represent the successive generations of Aizu daimyos (feudal lords) from Ashina to the last Matsudaira daimyo who ruled Aizu in the 1860s.

The parade starts and finishes at Tsurugajo Castle and the "daimyo" are accompanied by 500 or so "samurai warriors" on foot.