Personal Post: Festival of Knights (Soma No Umaoi.)

SOMA NO UMAOI, A PAGEANT OF KNIGHTS
by
Carl Kuntze

An ethereal quality pervades all festivals in Japan. With roots buried deep in its mythic past, they are characterized by kaleidoscopic explosions of color, eirie sounds, and anachronisms gliding like ghosts through streets that successfully blend the present with their ancestral heritage. In many contemporary hamlets, houses still affect pagoda rooftops that
shelter modern amenities, for The Japanese are quick to embrace innovations, and often, improve on them. They see no contradiction in the energy they expend in their determination to preserve the integrity of their culture against the onslaughts of external pressuresl, and their delight in anything novel from abroad. A great deal of their traditions are fabrications
but those with solid foundations are just as awesome as their legends.

Soma No Umaoi, a pageant celebrated in the lowlands of Fukushima Prefecture, traces its origins to the inception of The Kamakura Dynasty. Euphemistically translated into
“Wild Horse Chase,” it is meant to imply that this is an oriental counterpart of The American
Rodeo. The Japanese still squirm uncomfortably at their role in the fairly recent Pacific War.
The festival has unmistakeable martial overtones. It is reputed to have began as a benediction to the end of The Taira-Minamoto Feud, an encounter that determined one clan’s supremacy over The Japanse Isles.

The crucial engagement actually took place at sea in 1185, but consolidation would
have to be one land, where the warring factions contended. The victorious Yoritomo led his
mounted mailed knights across several towns, lining up support, until he finally installed himself at Kamakura, south of Edo (Tokyo.). Allegiance was quickly pledged, for The Japanese, above all, respected strength. Each year, a reenacted of this march has been the highlight of the festival. Descendants of the original warriors would parade down main streets in
full battle gear, on sturdy steeds, both in thanksgiving and implicit warning against challengers. Passed down from generations, The Yoroi Armor and saddles are undeniably old, so
old that cinches have snapped on the field, unseating discomfited riders who pride in their
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equestrian skill, but one tends to be skeptical that they survived the original festival. Still, they are incredibly well-preserved, with parts only replaced when lealther has corroded, or
metal pins, completely rusted away. Seeing these fine artifacts, as well as the old swords
alone is worth the trip.

The festival starts on a Friday of the third weekend of July. The mournful sound of several Horagai, an ornate horn made of giant seashell that produces a sound mellower than
a bellowilng elephant, richer than a foghorn searching its way through a dense heavy fog,
punctuates the clattering hoofbeats of redoubtable Samurai Warriors, weighed down by
their armor. Held in three modern hamlets, Soma, Iwazama, and Harano-Machi, it commences with a procession at Soma, on the first day, then another in each succeeding hamlet, its
ranks growing symbolically, accreting allies for the final confrontation on the last day. Like spectres from a long gone past, the knights canter through modern streets, recalling early
triumphs, as they pass cheering crowds, on their way to the athletic field.

Since it is a celebration of unity, there are no simulated clashes, but a tournament where horsemanship is contested. No prizes are awarded, outside of a scroll attesting to victory. Participation, by itself, is regarded as a singular honor.

Supported entirely by private contributions, it entails considerable expense to maintain armor and steed, not to mention, time, for the heirs of the tradition to underwrite the annual festival. Despite its long history, it is not too well known outside Japan. Last summer, I spied only a smattering of foreign faces among the estimated eight to ten thousand spectators. One reason the event is not extensively publicized could be the shortage of lodging
facilities. There are only half a dozen small western style hotels within its circumference, and
these, as well as available Japanese inns are usually fully booked for the duration. I was fortunate to have met a young electrical engineer on board the train. He was on his way to visit
his parents. When he learned I had made no hotel reservations, he invited me into his home. Not only was the privelege of staying with a Japanese family enjoyable, but they
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assisted me in getting behind the scenes coverage.

I gained a better insight into community cooperation that is unlike any other nation, either in the region, or the west. It is their singular sense of oneness that reinforces Japan’s formidable strength. An appetite for combat, now sublimated to the manufacture of consumer
goods, that made her a competetive trading power in the world market.

It would be unfortunate to overlook this festival, should a traveler find himself in Japan
at the time it is held. Not only would it be a stunning visual experience, but as a bonus, one
gets the feel of the real Japan, something denied those who insist on confining their visits to the cosmopolitan centers of The Land of The Rising Sun. Since the events start at 10 A.
M. and ends at 6 P. M. , it would not be necessary to stay nearby. Train schedules are convenient enough to allow a visitor to return to Tokyo.