Mane attraction at samurai festival

Young local men trying to capture a sacred wild horse as an offering to Shinto gods during a ritual yesterday at the Nomaoi Equestrian Samurai Festival in Minami Soma City, 17 km from the destroyed nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture. The ri
PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Young local men trying to capture a sacred wild horse as an offering to Shinto gods during a ritual yesterday at the Nomaoi Equestrian Samurai Festival in Minami Soma City, 17 km from the destroyed nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture. The ritual is held on the last day of the annual three-day event. The tradition is said to date back over 800 years. The festival attracted growing attention after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear accident that forced local residents to evacuate the Soma area.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 26, 2016, with the headline Mane attraction at samurai festival. Subscribe