Photo credit: By PekePON - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23747186
One of our favorite festivals in Japan, Sōma Nomaoi (Sōma Wild Horse Chase), was dealt a horrific blow in 2011 when a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident devastated the northern Japanese coastline where the event has been observed yearly for over a millennium. This region of picturesque rural towns and fishing villages located south of the city of Sendai was already struggling as young people left to pursue opportunities elsewhere. But rather than collapse under the weight of the twin disasters, the local community is fighting back, and nowhere is this more evident than in its signature matsuri (festival).
A spectacular, high-adrenaline affair, Sōma Nomaoi traces its origins to the 10th-century, with a festival started by Taira no Masakado, a warrior who fomented rebellion in the region around present-day Tokyo. (He was beheaded, and when his head was seen drifting about, a great shrine, Kanda Myōjin, was erected to appease the angry ghost, but that’s a story for another day.) Observed today over the last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in July, the three-day Sōma Nomaoi celebrate the horses for which the region is known, along with the samurai equestrian skills of their riders.
Both horses and riders are decked out in historic battle regalia—including armor passed down through generations—with colorful banners displaying the crests of various clans. The matsuri has been designated by the Japanese government as an important intangible folk cultural asset. It is organized by Ota Shrine and Odaka Shrine in Minami-Sōma City, and Nakamura Shrine in Sōma City. On day 1, there are departure ceremonies from each shrine, with colorful rites and processions of the horses and riders through the streets.
The highlights come on day 2, with a series of rapid-fire races followed by the sacred flag competition, in which brightly colored flags, some 40 in all, are shot one by one into the air over an open field. A thousand horses and riders charge out onto the field in hot pursuit, skirmishing to recover the flags. The victors present the flags at a hilltop shrine, presumably as an offering to ensure good fortune.
This year, Sōma Nomaoi will be held on July 28-30. Detailed schedules are available on the Rediscover Fukushima website (in English).
Sōma Nomaoi and Sōma recovery tour
A one-day group tour with an English-speaking guide is being offered on Sunday, July 29, 2018. After meeting at Fukushima Station, you’ll take a bus to Minami-Sōma, head to Hibarigahara Field to see the Armed Samurai Horse Race and Sacred Flag Competition before continuing your journey up the coast to see areas affected by the 2011 tsunami. See details of the tour here. The tour costs 8,500 yen and the deadline to apply is July 17, 2018. Apply online here.
Travel tips
Sōma is one hour south of Sendai, which is 90 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo. A trip to see the festival can be combined with visits to Sendai, the vibrant, leading city of the Tōhoku region, along with side trips to historic attractions such as ***Hiraizumi and *Yamadera.
We highly recommend the Dōchuan Youth Hostel, a traditional farmhouse offering gracious hospitality and excellent meals. Its considerable charms more than compensate for its somewhat out-of-the-way location on the edge of Sendai.
For more information, consult your copy of Gateway to Japan, Digital Edition.
