Soma Nomaoi 2027
Hundreds of riders in full samurai armour thunder across Fukushima's coast for armoured horse races and a wild scramble to catch sacred flags shot into the sky.
When · Where
- When
- 2027/05/29 – 2027/05/31
- Where
- Hibarigahara Festival Grounds, Minamisoma (and Soma & Namie)（Hibarigahara, Haramachi-ku, Minamisoma City, Fukushima）
- City
- Across Japan
- Getting there
- About 25 minutes' walk from JR Haramachi Station (Joban Line); shuttle buses run on the main festival day.
- Price
- The main-day grounds (Hibarigahara) are ticketed for grandstand seating; street processions are free to watch. Exact 2027 dates (last weekend of May) confirmed in advance.
- Organizer
- Soma Nomaoi Executive Committee
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- About 25 minutes' walk from JR Haramachi Station (Joban Line); shuttle buses run on the main festival day. Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Check tickets and details on the official page (button above).
- Paying
- The main-day grounds (Hibarigahara) are ticketed for grandstand seating; street processions are free to watch. Exact 2027 dates (last weekend of May) confirmed in advance.. Smaller venues in Japan are often cash-first — carry some yen (cards/IC not guaranteed).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers
Highlights
- Kacchu Keiba — armoured horse races by riders in ancestral samurai armour
- Shinki Sodatsusen — a flag-catching scramble for shrine banners fired into the air
- A solemn procession of 'samurai' through the streets behind their commanders
Background & story
A nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property with roughly a thousand years of history, Soma Nomaoi re-enacts the military exercises and wild-horse capture of the medieval Soma clan.
Good to know
The grandstand at Hibarigahara is the only place to see the races and flag-catching together — book a seat early, bring a hat and water for the open field in late-May heat.