56789 5 Barbecue is on the menu at California Riding.6 Beginners start with a lead-rein lesson at California Riding.7 The Horse Value outfit offers beach rides on the Pacific shore.8 Yoichiro Jin with a fellow horseman at Jin’s Horse Value stable in Minamisoma.9 Exhibits at the Minamisoma City Museum relate the history of the Soma Nomaoi festival. Keeping Traditions Alivelaunched with ceremonial solemnity at each of the shrines. Having received their “battle” orders, altogether some 400 warriors—carrying banners displaying their ancestral ties, and dressed in full samural gear with armor and helmets weighing as much as 12 kilograms—then parade on horse-back toward the Hibarigahara festival grounds. The person acting as commander in chief is a direct descendant of the Soma line.located amid rolling farmland, is all about encouraging peo-ple to feel at ease with the animals. Activities suited to all levels of riding experience are offered, from instructor-led rides in the ring to trail rides out in the open. Next to the stables, the outfit also has a campsite where you can eat barbecue and spend time relaxing close by the horses.the beach. A future option will enable visitors to ride through town dressed in samurai attire. Stable master Yoichiro Jin says that a world in which people enjoy close contact with horses “can only be a better, much healthier place.” kanji that mean “affinity” and “horse.” An abiding love for the animals is found throughout this area—a feeling shared by members of the public and leaders alike. Long may this spe-cial kinship between people and horses live.Horses hold special meaning in Hamadori. One of the most important events of the year is the Soma Nomaoi, a three-day festival born of the area’s history and its intimate ties with these noble animals. The city of Minamisoma, in par-ticular, comes alive with excitement for it.Present-day northern Hamadori was once the domain of the Soma clan, who ruled the area for some 700 years. The Soma Nomaoi (the term nomaoi means to round up horses that are on the loose) began as an event in which samurai competed against one another in a display of their horse-manship skills before the Soma lords. After the clan system was abolished with the advent of the Meiji era (1868–1912), the event took on a new form as a festival representing three shrines. In the bright sunshine of a summer day, the festival is The mounted horse races held the following day are the festival’s high point. Clad in armor, their family flags unfurled behind them, the warriors thunder down a 1,200-meter track, vying for top position. It’s a cavalry charge from the Warring States period, a medieval scene straight out of a Kurosawa film. As the riders gallop past, dust flying, you feel as though you’ve been pulled right onto a gritty battlefield with them.After the races are contests to seize two sacred flags. Conch shells sound as the targets are fired high into the sky. Immediately, scores of mounted warriors rush in pursuit, each striving to catch a flag in a great test of unity between rider and horse.The next and final day of the festival sees the Shinto ritual known as nomakake, in which three sacred horses are first corralled on horseback and then caught by hand for presen-tation to the shrines. This event, too, underscores why the Soma Nomaoi has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government.Minamisoma is a place for all riders. California Riding, Another stable is Horse Value, which offers rides along Perhaps it’s no surprise that “Soma” is written with two Soma NomaoiThis traditional Hamadori event involves some 400 mounted warriors and boasts a history of 1,000 years. It is held annually over a three-day period, with the horse races and flag battles taking place on the second day.California RidingThis horse-riding club offers a variety of programs tailored for everyone, not just the experienced, so even begin-ners and visitors can enjoy riding and interacting with the horses. Both day visits and overnights are possible at the campsite next to the stables, which also has a popular barbecue venue.Horse ValueHorse Value is an enterprise in Minami-soma that aims to bring horses and people closer together. Visitors can hire a horse for a slow walk through the Odaka district or a longer excursion along the beach. Stable head Yoichiro Jin, a competitive show jumper, started the business after moving to Minamisoma from Tokyo.Minamisoma City MuseumVisitors can learn about the environ-ment, history, and folk traditions of Minamisoma at its municipal museum. Exhibits on the Soma Nomaoi give a thorough overview of the festival. Stopping by before attending will give you a good “leg up” on the event. 1 2 3 41 Riders in full regalia, flags flying, race around a 1,200-meter track. The earth rumbles as the horses gallop by.2 After escorting portable shrines on a parade through town, the procession of riders enters the festival grounds.3 Zigzagging wands of white paper, a ritual Shinto offering, adorn a horse’s back.4 Dressed for the festivities, horse and rider make their way onto the field.Lessons of the Horse: Kinship and Constancy5Cherished Horses
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