Soma Nomaoi Festival

Soma Nomaoi (相馬野馬追) is a three-day festival held in the Soma region of Fukushima Prefecture. It has been designated as a nationally significant intangible folk cultural property. The spectacle of about 400 cavalry warriors clad in armour and long swords, carrying flags handed down from their ancestors and waving in the wind, is unparalleled worldwide. It is said that the tradition began more than a thousand years ago when Taira no Masakado, the distant ancestor of the Soma clan, used wild horses to resemble enemy soldiers and used them in military exercises. Even after the Soma clan moved to this area, this event was passed down through generations of family heads. As a Shinto ritual to pray for the peace and well-being of the region, it is still a passionate event that has undergone many changes.