The Soma Nomaoi is said to have begun long, long ago, in the mid-Heian period (over a thousand years ago).
It is believed to have originated when Taira no Masakado (who was called Soma Kojirō in his childhood) captured wild horses on the plains of Koganehara in the Shimōsa Province’s Katsushika District (an area that corresponds to present-day Matsudo and Nagareyama in Chiba Prefecture) and dedicated them to a shrine.
When you visit a shrine to make a wish, do you ever write your thoughts on an ema (a wooden votive plaque)?
In the past, horses were extremely valuable (as they still are today), and when people made wishes at shrines, they would offer their most prized horse, known as a *shinshiuba* (sacred horse), to the gods as a dedication.
In modern times, offering real horses to the gods has become difficult, which led to the creation of *ema* (wooden votive plaques).
Even today in Sōma, as prayers for the safety of the homeland and the peace of its residents, fine horses are dedicated to the shrine each year during the Nomaoi festival.
(This ritual, known as *Nomakake*, is considered the most important part of the Soma Nomaoi. I will share more details about it another time.)
According to an old book, “After Masakado came to rule the eight provinces of the Kanto region, he released horses on the Kogane Plain in Katsushika District of Shimōsa Province (present-day northwestern Chiba Prefecture). Each year, in spring, summer, and autumn—twice or even three times—he gathered soldiers from the eight provinces, donned armor, organized great formations, treated the wild horses as enemies, and practiced military tactics, maneuvering skills, horsemanship, and fluid movements in mock battle.”
The origin of the Soma Nomaoi lies in military training that began as a way to protect one’s own homeland.
Time passed, and in the year 1323 (about 700 years ago), the sixth head of the Soma clan, Soma Shigetane, relocated to Ota Village in Namekata District, Mutsu Province (present-day Nakada Ota, Haramachi Ward, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture).
He first settled at the site where Soma Ota Shrine stands today, but after a few years, he moved his residence to Odaka Castle (the location of Soma Odaka Shrine in Odaka Ward, Minamisoma City).
Like the traditional *Nomaoi* of old, it is said that in Soma as well, horses were released onto the plains near Ōta Village, and that they continued to do so intermittently thereafter.
There are few surviving records about the *Nomaoi* of this period, so the details remain unclear, but time passed once again to the year 1600. It is said that while conducting a *Nomakake* (wild horse chasing ritual) at Ushikoshi Castle (in present-day Haramachi Ward, Minamisōma City), which served as their residence at the time, they received word of the Battle of Sekigahara. Even after returning home, it is believed that the *Nomaoi* continued to be held.
When the Edo period began, the residence was moved to Nakamura Castle (the present-day site of Sōma Nakamura Shrine in Sōma City), which thereafter became the main stronghold of the Sōma clan until the Meiji era. From around this period, we begin to see the early form of today’s *Sōma Nomaoi*.
The 19th head of the Soma clan, Soma Tadatane, developed pastures on the open plains and decided to hold the *Nomaoi* there.
The present-day festival grounds at Hibari-ga-hara are part of that area.
When the Meiji era arrived and the samurai class came to an end, the *Nomaoi* could no longer be held as an annual event of the Soma family—horses that had been grazing freely on the plains were captured and the traditions faded.
However, as the festival of the three Soma shrines—Soma Ota, Odaka, and Nakamura Shrines—dedicated to Myoken, the guardian deity of the Soma clan, the event has persevered through countless challenges, continuing to this day and carrying forward the teachings of our ancestors no matter what difficulties arise.
