Inside the Japanese festival where samurai armour still meets the racetrack

Mitsukiyo Monma leaves his home for the parade, carrying the weight of ritual and memory into the Soma Nomaoi festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

A rider in samurai armour charges through the Yoinori Keiba race, turning historical pageantry into living competition at Hibarigahara field in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)

Horsemen arrive at Hibarigahara field beneath fluttering banners, bringing the Soma Nomaoi festival to its fullest expression of spectacle, ritual and mounted tradition in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Horsemen in samurai armour thunder across Hibarigahara field during the Kachu Keiba race, where the festival’s martial roots come fully into view in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

A hanging scroll depicting a mounted warrior sets the tone inside Mitsukiyo Monma’s home, where the day’s preparations begin before the Soma Nomaoi festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

A horseman in samurai armour rides through a residential neighbourhood, bringing the festival out of private homes and into the streets of Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Riders look skyward and reach for sacred flags during the Shinki-soudatsusen competition, one of the festival’s most dramatic moments, at Hibarigahara field in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Armoured participants watch the Yoinori Keiba race from the sidelines, as anticipation builds ahead of the main events at Hibarigahara field during the Soma Nomaoi festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)

People in samurai armour gather at Hibarigahara field as the Soma Nomaoi festival begins to unfold in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Source: AFP

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