Japan (October 2018): Otomouma-no-Hashirikomi in Kikuma
Kikuma is a small coastal town some 23km north
of Matsuyama. On a normal day it has nothing much to offer to visitors, except
a couple of Buddhist temples, ceramic roof tile manufacturing facility, and the
best spot for night photography of the illuminated Taiyo Oil refinery! But
every year on the 3rd Sunday of October it is home of Otomouma-no-Hashirikomi, a colorful annual horse racing festival said
to be 600-year old.
Left: Henjoin
(Buddhist temple). Right: One of the many ceramic onigawara
produced in Kikuma.
|
|
|
Left: Announcement of the 2018 festival
on a window shop in Kikuma. Right: A small crowd of
well-equipped photographs who came early to the racing site to occupy the best
spot.
|
|
|
The festival is held on the grounds of
the Kamo shrine (Shinto), slightly outside town. The
horses are ridden by boys, some incredibly young, some in their teens. The
horses are caparisoned with well-padded embroidered saddles and the riders are
dressed in colorful clothes. The racetrack is approximately 300m long; it
consists of a straight course, then a turn to the left, and finally a steep
straight ascent to reach a flat between the Kama shrine and a small pond. The
event starts at 8:00am and lasts at least until 11:00am. Initially it is rather
formal and well-organized. First the riders and their helpers come with the
horses to the base of the shrine to pay their respects. Then a sequence of
races, each involving 2 to 4 horses, are performed. But after a couple of hours
things loosen up somewhat and become more chaotic. Races are intertwined with
weird and noisy dragon dances, while beer consumption around the temple
increases dramatically. Overall, people seemed to have a lot of fun.
Start of the race track. The temple (not
visible in the photo) is on the left.
Arrival of the riders and their helpers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riders and helpers paying their respects
at the base of the stairs leading to the temple.
|
|
|
|
Horses and riders. I was amazed by the
youth of some riders and the fact that they do not wear helmets during the
races. Not surprisingly, accidents occur. Some of the youngest riders seemed to
be proud to be here, others to be scared.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rest area for horses between races.
Race snapshots.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Racers reaching the end of the track
with helpers trying to stop the horses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riders returning from races with their
helpers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots of a procession/dance to the
temple between racing events.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Then beer started flowing with no end in
sight...
Amid the growing chaos and noise, there
was this couple sitting still in the shade in front of the temple. They were
not drinking beer. They were not talking. They were unlike anyone else. I did
not see them moving before I left. I still wonder what was on their mind. Had I
been able to speak Japanese, I would have talked to them.
