~::Masamune Date's Birthday Festival::~
Oshu City High School Building - Oshu City

There are few figures in Japan more revered and respected than the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune; famed for his bravery and strategy during the Era of the Warring States, the General was once the patron of Oshu and much of Northern Japan. Despite spending many of his years during the Sengoku Period abroad or at the head of his fearsome Army of Oshu, his fame has always been linked to and his star beloved by the people of Oshu itself. He is their favorite son, a figure they look to for guidance and wisdom even four-hundred years after his death. And every year, for two days starting on September 4th and ending at midnight on September 6th, a celebration is held in honor of the man who brought fame and glory to the proud people of the Northern Honshu Mainland.

In recent years, part of this celebration has come in the form of the 'Masamune Date Birthday Festival', put on by and for the students of Oshu City High School on the campus of the school itself. The Festival is well known throughout the city, as booths set up outside the school building courtyard are open to people from all over the city who wish to partake in dancing...games...singing...and many other small events held by separate classes.

However, the real celebration is inside the school, where special booths are set up for the students to enjoy themselves; the main event on the second day of the Festival (September 5th...Masamune Date's Birthday) is a bonfire dance where students gather on the athletic practice field around a massive campfire. Music is played, dancing is enjoyed, and only couples are granted entrance! It's a wonderful late-night celebration of romance and entertainment.

If you live in Oshu, it is a must visit...so what are you waiting for?!