The Ageuma Shinji festival is held at Tado Taisha shrine in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, on May 4. (Video by Tadashi Mizowaki)

Photo/Illutration A horseback rider in warrior attire negotiates a slope during the Ageuma Shinji festival in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, on May 4. (Tadashi Mizowaki)

KUWANA, Mie Prefecture--Horses scrambling up a steep slope emerged none the worse on May 4 after changes were made to a shrine festival in response to accusations of animal cruelty last year.

Traditionally, horseback riders in the Ageuma Shinji (Horse jumping festival) at Tado Taisha shrine here get their animals to leap over an earthen wall about 2 meters high after reaching the top of the slope.

The Shinto ritual, said to date back about 700 years, is held to divine crop harvests based on whether the horses ridden by young residents in feudal attire can clear the final obstacle.

However, the festival came under fire after a horse broke a front leg and was put down last year.

After consulting with veterinarians, organizers decided to do away with the earthen wall, modify the slope to make it less steep and prohibit riders from inflicting violence on the horses to make them run.

The steps to lessen the burden on horses were adopted based on a recommendation from the prefectural board of education.

On the first day of the two-day festival, six horses conquered the slope in turns to applause from spectators.

“I am relieved that everything went well,” said Yoshichiyo Ito, who heads the organizing group. “The festival has changed from its traditional form, but it is OK if both people and horses are safe and unhurt.”

A 47-year-old resident who watched the festival said: “For someone of my age, the absence of an earthen wall is odd. But we must accept that changes must be made, given the changing times, so the festival turns out to be a success.”

Some members of an animal protection group held up placards in the front row of spectators that said the festival must not serve as an excuse for animal cruelty.

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