News Dozens of horses suffer sunstroke at Fukushima samurai event

[thomas]

Today, the Soma Nomaoi Festival organisers in Fukushima Prefecture said that they were considering changing the dates for the gathering next year after sunstroke affected 111 animals, killing two of them. Last year, one horse died at the event.

Photo credit: Kyodo​

The annual three-day event — featuring more than 400 participants dressed as medieval samurai warriors fighting on horseback over flags that are shot overhead by fireworks — attracted more than 120,000 people, reports said. Yoshichika Hirata, a member of the festival's executive committee, told AFP that changing the date of next year's event to a cooler time of year would be discussed at a meeting on Thursday. "We sprinkled water on the track for the first time, as extreme heat was expected. We used three water-sprinkler cars, but it dried up quickly," Hirata said. One horse died during last year's festival, after which a majority of riders supported a plan to change the date, according to a survey conducted in December.

Scores of horses suffer sunstroke at samurai festival

Organizers may move the annual event — featuring over 400 participants dressed as samurai on horseback — to a cooler time of year.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Soma Nomaoi (Horse Festival)|南相馬市公式ウェブサイト -Minamisoma City-

Visit the Soma Nomaoi Executive Committee Site for additional details and the latest updates.

www.city.minamisoma.lg.jp

相馬野馬追 公式サイト 相馬野馬追執行委員会 相馬野馬追 公式サイト 相馬野馬追執行委員会

一千有余の歴史を経て、今なおいきづく伝統の祭り

soma-nomaoi.jp

 

[johnnyG]

So not just scouts in Busan...

I haven't been riding for maybe two weeks now, even tho I would be out now instead of in the middle of any heat.

 

[thomas]

I haven't been riding for maybe two weeks now, even tho I would be out now instead of in the middle of any heat.

Riding as in "horseback"?

I was wondering whether these horses are privately owned. You'd assume they would take better care of their steeds.

 

[johnnyG]

No, biking.

I don't put myself out there in it, and I wouldn't treat an animal any differently.

From the picture it is apparently full-on galloping?

Yuk. (many words with negative connotations stifled)

 

[thomas]

No, biking.

j/k

From the picture it is apparently full-on galloping?

Yuk. (many words with negative connotations stifled)

It's a three-day event:

Soma Nomaoi (Horse Festival)|南相馬市公式ウェブサイト -Minamisoma City-

Visit the Soma Nomaoi Executive Committee Site for additional details and the latest updates.

www.city.minamisoma.lg.jp

The race is on the second day and starts at 12 PM!

 

[Lothor]

So not just scouts in Busan...

I haven't been riding for maybe two weeks now, even tho I would be out now instead of in the middle of any heat.

Has the scouting debacle been reported in Japan? I have a friend whose son went over as part of the British contingent, and the whole event has been marred by problems. She was asking me about media coverage in Japan, and I told her that baseball players were the only teenage boys allowed to grace Japan's screens in August. Was I wrong?

 

[johnnyG]

Has the scouting debacle been reported in Japan?

I guess I've seen it on CNN, part of our cable service.

Maybe the briefest glimpse on a j-lang channel that, on the half hour, I sometimes see the weather forecast. And they seem to say kyushu is gonna get lots, 250-300mm, with a passing reference to korea. CNN doesn't mention kyushu at all... (maybe they're waiting till there's eye-catching 'news', and not the boring forecast point of view)

 

[thomas]

The organisers plan to hold next year's event in May or June. As the central government designates the festival as an important intangible folk cultural asset, the Agency for Cultural Affairs must approve any change in the dates.

The brutal summer heat took a toll on both humans and horses. The number of mounted samurai warriors and spectators treated for heatstroke, or its preliminary symptoms, at first-aid stations in the city reached 83 this year, up four-fold over last year. Eleven of them were rushed to hospitals by ambulances. Officials said 111 horses suffered from sunstroke, and two of them died.

Summer horse festival to avoid brutal heat after animal deaths | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[thomas]

Some may still remember this news from last summer. This year, the action-packed 1,000-year-old festival featuring armoured samurai warriors on horseback was held two months earlier than usual to avoid the gruelling summer heat.

​

One of the "Soma-Nomaoi" (Soma wild horse chase) festival's main events, a parade of costumed warriors and their horses through the streets of Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, was held on May 26. They also competed in horse races and battles to take a sacred flag at the festival's main venue, Hibarigahara-saijochi, in the city. About 390 horses participated this year and about 73,000 spectators attended that day. The three-day festival has been held in the Soso district of the prefecture for about 10 centuries, traditionally at the end of July--but this year, it was moved up to late May. The highest temperature on the day of the festival was 26 degrees, a reasonable temperature for both people and horses.

Horses enjoy cooler Soma-Nomaoi festival held in May | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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...

jref.com