murmurSoma Nomaoi (Wild Horse Chase)
Minamisoma City · Hibarigahara Festival Grounds and other sites in the Soma and Futaba areas
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Soma Nomaoi Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 23–25, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late May
- How the date is set
- Announced each year Three days (Saturday to Monday); dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Hibarigahara Festival Grounds and other sites in the Soma and Futaba areas
- City
- Minamisoma City, Fukushima
About
For 3 days, the Soma region of Fukushima turns back the clock with a festival of horses and warriors, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. Some 400 riders in full armor ride out with family banners flying from their backs. The peak is the second day: a grand procession through town, armored horse races at the Hibarigahara Festival Grounds, and a scramble in which riders compete to snatch sacred flags floating down from the sky. On the last day, the Nomakake ritual takes place at Soma Odaka Shrine. Legend traces it back over a thousand years to Taira no Masakado, considered a forebear of the Soma clan, who trained his troops by treating wild horses as enemy soldiers. The 2026 festival ran May 23 to 25. To watch the races and the flag scramble at the festival grounds, you need a ticket for the spectator seats.
Sources
- OfficialSoma Nomaoi Association soma-nomaoi.jp
- OfficialFukushima Prefectural Tourism & Products Association (Fukushima Travel) www.tif.ne.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.