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Omanto Festival (Omanto Matsuri) - Takahama-City

Takahama-City Omanto Festival (Omanto Matsuri) - Takahama-City

Date : 10/06/2018, 10/07/2018

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A thrilling demonstration of courage, strength and faith!

Vigorous horses bearing strikingly decorated harnesses with flowers and bells, symbolizing a mounted deity therein enshrined, dash around the circular baba (馬場, horse paddock) enclosed with wooden logs. Then, young and brave men wearing happi festive coats and jikatabi (地下足袋, a kind of rubber-soled socks that is split-toed) will run in an attempt to grab the equine, thus becoming one with the beast and catching the good fortune riding on it. This amazing event is the Omanto Festival (おまんと祭り Omanto Matsuri) of Kasuga Shrine, in Takahama-City, nationwide the most famous horse-themed celebratory event among all the several similarly horse-themed ones of Chita District, Takahama area and other towns along the coast of Chita Bay.

Being so highly acclaimed earned this particular matsuri a designation as Intangible Cultural Folk Asset of Takahama City. In addition, it is also believed to be place of origin of the term Uma-no-to, which can mean Horse-Head (馬の頭) or Horse Tower (馬の塔), used for the divine horse harness offerings in all equestrian festivals across West Mikawa and Owari regions of Aichi Prefecture. An amazing festival like no other!

EVENT OVERVIEW

Date	: Every weekend in October, alternating the location, from October 6th (Saturday) and 7th (Sunday). *: Horse runs only October 6th (Saturday) and 7th (Sunday) at Kasuga Shrine.
Holding time	: Horse Runs: From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Place	: • Kasuga Shrine (Horse Runs) • Yoshihama Hachiman Shrine • Yoshihama Shinmeisha Shrine • Takatori Shinmeigu Shrine
Location	: 〒444-1334 Kasuga Shrine 2-1-8, Kasuga-cho, Takahama-City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Parking	: Unavailable
Restrooms	: Available
Phone number	: 0566-52-2288 (Takahama City Tourism Association)

Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.

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ACCESS

Access by public transport

• Kasuga Shrine
10min northeastwards walk (or free shuttle bus when available) from Mikawa-Takahama Station of the Meitetsu Mikawa Line (board from Nagoya Station and change trains at Chiryu Station).
• Yoshihama Hachiman Shrine
8min northeastwards walk from Yoshihama Station of the Meitetsu Mikawa Line (board from Nagoya Station and change trains at Chiryu Station).
• Yoshihama Shinmeisha Shrine
10min southwestwards walk from Yoshihama Station of the Meitetsu Mikawa Line (board from Nagoya Station and change trains at Chiryu Station).
• Takatori Shinmeigu Shrine
20min eastwards walk from Mikawa-Takahama Station of the Meitetsu Mikawa Line (board from Nagoya Station and change trains at Chiryu Station).