Photo/Illutration A samurai parade is held as part of the Koedo Kawagoe Spring Festival on March 25, 2023, in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. (Jin Naganuma)

KAWAGOE, Saitama Prefecture--A samurai parade held as part of the annual Koedo Kawagoe Spring Festival in the historic city will include non-Japanese participants for the first time.

The move is aimed at entertaining inbound tourists with "kacchu" traditional Japanese armor in the city nicknamed "Koedo," or Little Edo, with Edo being the old name for Tokyo.

Organized by Shishi-no-Kai, a city-based enthusiast group for samurai armor, the procession will take place on March 24.

The group intends to include about 20 non-Japanese participants for the parade, which usually consists of approximately 50 people.

They must be 180 centimeters or shorter with a waistline of 100 cm or less.

"We want to have interviews to decide who can join the parade because it will require about five hours of their time," said Katsuhiro Terada, 79, head of the group.

Shishi-no-Kai was founded in 1976 to learn the history of Japanese armor and join various events clad in the protective clothing to pass down its tradition.

Some of its about 120 members are also members of a preservation association for matchlock guns handed down to feudal Kawagoe Domain, now part of present-day Saitama Prefecture. They give demonstrations of the antique firearm.

Meanwhile, the group will also host an armor exhibition on Feb. 11-12, during which guests can put on samurai armor.

The event will be held at Kajimachi Park, which is located alongside the Ichibangai shopping street lined with traditional "kura" warehouses.

It costs 2,000 yen ($14) for adults and 1,000 yen for children.

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