Festival opens with musket salute in Sakai, Osaka

Festival opens with musket salute in Sakai, Osaka

An annual festival has opened with a ceremonial salute fired from matchlock muskets in Sakai City, Osaka.

The local tourism association organizes the event to promote awareness of the history and culture of Sakai, which once flourished as a merchant town and a major center of musket production. This year's festival is the 53rd edition.

At the opening ceremony on Sunday morning, members of a local matchlock preservation group, dressed in armor and helmets, fired the guns before a crowd of locals and tourists.

Sakai was one of the country's leading centers of musket production from the Sengoku period through the Edo period. The city is also known as the birthplace of the 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyu.

Visitors to the festival enjoyed matcha green tea at an outdoor booth and learned about foreign cultures from around the world, reflecting Sakai's history as a thriving center of international trade.

The event also featured 11 floats called Futon Daiko, brought together from across the city. The floats have roofs resembling stacks of giant cushions.

A local woman in her 20s said she came with her family and said they were looking forward to enjoying the festival.

A local man in his 70s said that he wanted to see the musket corps perform. He said that he enjoyed the event as the weather was good and the atmosphere was lively.