Soma Nomaoi Tour/Travel 2024

Special feature on Japanese festivals and seasonal customs

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Soma Nomaoi

It's like a reenactment of a Sengoku picture scroll! A fierce and passionate warrior gallops on horseback! A nationally designated important intangible folk cultural asset with a history spanning more than 1,000 years

Approximately 400 mounted warriors clad in armor, with swords at their waists and flags on their backs, gallop across the fields in a powerful and heroic performance that is reminiscent of a period picture scroll.
According to legend, the Soma Nomaoi began over 1,000 years ago, when Taira no Masakado, who is said to be the ancestor of the Soma clan, released wild horses into Koganegahara in Shimousa Province (present-day northwestern Chiba Prefecture) and used them in military training, representing enemy soldiers.
The captured horses were then dedicated to the local deity, Myoken, as sacred horses. Even after Shigetane Soma moved to present-day Minamisōma City, successive feudal lords continued to carry on this tradition. The Nomaoi has been carried out without fail as a divine ritual to offer wild horses and pray for peace and tranquility in the Soma region.
After undergoing many changes, it is now designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. It is the largest festival held in the former feudal domain and is still an enthusiastic event.