Photo/Illutration Riders dressed as samurai warriors compete on horseback along a track in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 29, 2018. The event is part of the traditional Soma Nomaoi summer festival. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture--A thrilling traditional summer festival here that features formidable equestrian skills will be held earlier in the year from 2024 after more than 80 people and 100-plus horses came down with heatstroke.

The “Soma-Nomaoi” (Soma wild horse chase) festival, an annual three-day event held in late July that dates back around 1,000 years, involves mounted riders in samurai warrior attire. This year, two horses died of heatstroke.

Members of a panel meeting here on Aug. 10 to discuss changing the festival dates decided that in future the event would be held between late May and early June, starting in 2024, when the weather is cooler.

The panel, headed by Minami-Soma Mayor Kazuo Monma, aims to finalize specific dates before the end of the month and then hold discussions with the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

As the festival is designated by the central government as an important intangible folk cultural asset, any change in the dates must be approved by the agency.

“We hope to make a formal decision by the end of the year at the latest, taking into account the time needed for promotion and informing people about the change,” Monma told a news conference.

During the event held from July 29, maximum daily temperatures exceeded 35 degrees.

The brutal summer heat took a toll on both humans and horses.

The number of mounted samurai warriors and spectators treated for heatstroke, or its preliminary symptoms, at first-aid stations in the city reached 83 this year, up four-fold over last year.

Eleven of them were rushed to hospitals by ambulances.

Officials said 111 horses suffered from sunstroke, and two of them died.

In June, the Soma Nomaoi executive committee decided to a change in the festival dates was in order, starting from fiscal 2025 at the earliest.

But the panel decided the switch could not wait.

Remarks made during the panel meeting ranged from “Global warming will continue” and “If the event is held at the same time next year, (horse owners) told us they won’t lend their horses” to “Won’t we be accused of animal cruelty (if we continue)?”

However, representatives of participating shrines expressed concern over whether they would be able to gather the necessary volunteers if the dates of the festival are changed.

Local government officials indicated a willingness to cooperate in securing manpower.

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