Soma Nomaoi, the samurai horsemen race

The festival Soma Nomaoi (or "Capture of the wild horses") is taking place every year on the last week-end of July, in the city of Minami-Soma, in the region of Soma, in Fukushima prefecture. This year, it was taking place last week-end and ended yesterday. Listed as a significant intangible folk cultural asset of Japan, the festival is organized around Ota and Odaka shrines in Minami-Soma and around Nakamura shrine in Soma. 

Several evens happen during the 3 days of Soma Nomaoi, with the two highlights on Sunday at Hibarigahara field. Koshiki Kacchu Keiba features 12 samurai clad in their armors and helmets and bearing their katana, racing on a 1 km-long track. During Shinki Sodatsusen, several hundreds of samurai compete to catch one of the flags launched with the fireworks. A great procession leads the visitors to Hibarigahara to the sound of war drums. On Monday, the last day, men dressed in white captures horses and offer them to the Okaka shrine as part of the Nomagake ritual.

Soma Nomaoi festival is said to date back to the early 10th century when local samurai would secretly exercise.