Chagu Chagu Umakko

Overview

Chagu Chagu Umako is a traditional event held every year on the second Saturday of June, from Takizawa City to Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture. Farm horses beautifully adorned with colorful costumes and harnesses march the roughly fourteen-kilometer route from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa City to Morioka Hachimangu Shrine in Morioka City, taking about four hours. The cool ringing sound of the bells, chagu chagu, is the origin of the name, and this sound has been selected among the Hundred Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved by the Ministry of the Environment.

The greatest characteristic of this event lies in the way it conveys to the present day the deep bond between people and horses, unique to Iwate as a horse-breeding region. The scene of gaily adorned horses carrying children, slowly making their way through the streets of Nanbu Morioka, is peaceful and heartwarming, and has captivated many spectators. A simple festival born of the farmers' affection for their beloved horses has been guarded and handed down by the hands of local people, becoming a nationally known feature of early summer in Iwate.

History and Origins

Iwate Prefecture, where Chagu Chagu Umako was born, has long been known nationwide as a horse-breeding region, and its people have led lives close to horses. This time of year, corresponding to the Boys' Festival of the old calendar, is also the season when horses are worn out from the preparations for rice planting. That people made a pilgrimage to Onikoshi Sozen Shrine to soothe those horses and pray for freedom from illness is said to be the root of Chagu Chagu Umako. This festival arose naturally from the farmers' affection for the beloved horses that shared their labor.

At the center of the festival's faith is the reverence for Sozen-sama. The Sozen deity has long been widely revered throughout the Tohoku region as the guardian deity of horses, and the prayers of people wishing for the safety and health of the horses essential to farming and transport were realized in the form of pilgrimage to Sozen Shrine. In this festival, where livelihood and faith are inseparably bound, are inscribed the memories of the lives of the people of Iwate, who have lived together with horses.

The culture of adorning horses in vivid colors is said to have blossomed in the mid-Edo period. As the pilgrimage to Sozen Shrine grew popular, the custom of beautifully decorating beloved horses became fashionable, and the ways of making the costumes were handed down over generations as unique to each household. The number of bells attached to a single horse reaches about seven hundred, and it is precisely the sound produced by these countless bells that gives rise to the name chagu chagu. The technique of making the costumes is still handed down today through workshops held in winter when the farm work has settled.

Chagu Chagu Umako, handed down in this way, was selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in the fifty-third year of Showa, 1978, as an intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as record-making should be taken, because of its high cultural value. Furthermore, the sound of the bells has been chosen among the Hundred Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved, and the value of this event is widely recognized not only visually but also aurally. An association made up of the participating people connects this festival to the future through activities such as continuing to keep farm horses and preserving the techniques of leading the horses and of making the costumes.

Highlights

Adorned Horses Marching Some Fourteen Kilometers The greatest highlight is the sight of farm horses, beautifully adorned with colorful costumes and harnesses, marching the roughly fourteen kilometers from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine to Morioka Hachimangu Shrine. In recent years dozens of horses line up and advance slowly over about four hours. The figures of the adorned horses making their way along a route that shifts from rural scenery to the city center are filled with a mood unique to early summer in Iwate.

The Bells Ringing Chagu Chagu The bells, said to number about seven hundred per horse, ring coolly, chagu chagu, in time with the horses' steps. The way this sound of countless bells overlaps layer upon layer and spreads through the streets is the true delight of a festival enjoyed not only with the eyes but with the ears. This tone, selected among the Hundred Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved by the Ministry of the Environment, has become a symbol of Chagu Chagu Umako.

Gorgeous Costumes Differing by Household The costumes that adorn the horses differ in their making by household, and are unique things handed down over generations. The figure of each horse, painstakingly decorated with colorful cloth, tassels, and ornamental metal fittings, has its own individuality, offering the pleasure of comparing one with another. The enthusiasm of the people who support this festival is also expressed in the way the techniques are inherited at winter workshops.

The March of Horses Carrying Children Children are placed on the adorned horses, which march through the streets. The heartwarming scene of horse and child as one reflects the life of a region that has lived together with horses, and the wish for succession to the next generation. The endearing figures soothe the hearts of spectators and symbolize the peaceful appeal of this festival.

Pilgrimage from Sozen Shrine to Morioka Hachimangu The festival begins with worship at Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa City and proceeds toward Morioka Hachimangu Shrine in Morioka City. Starting from prayer to Sozen-sama, the guardian deity of horses, and reaching Hachimangu, the general guardian shrine of Morioka, this very route embodies the religious meaning of the festival. Along the path connecting the two shrines is placed the prayer wishing for the safety of people and horses.

Event Information and Access

• Location: Takizawa City and Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Route: About 14 km from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine (departure) to Morioka Hachimangu Shrine (arrival)
• Date: The second Saturday of June every year
• Duration: The march takes about four hours
• Cultural property, etc.: Selected in 1978 as an intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as record-making should be taken; the sound of the bells is selected among the Hundred Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved
• Access: The departure point of Onikoshi Sozen Shrine is in Takizawa City; the march passes through central Morioka City and the area in front of Morioka Station on the way to Morioka Hachimangu

Nearby Attractions

Morioka Hachimangu, the end point of Chagu Chagu Umako, is a shrine that draws wide faith as the general guardian shrine of Morioka and boasts a solemn hall. As the place worshipped at the conclusion of the festival's route, it has borne the center of the history and faith of the town of Morioka. Worshipping there alongside viewing the festival lets one more deeply sense the religious background of this event.

Morioka City is known as a castle town where rich nature and historical culture harmonize. With many sights such as the rivers flowing through the city, the scenery overlooking Mount Iwate, and the historic townscape, it is also loved as a place associated with the poets Miyazawa Kenji and Ishikawa Takuboku. Taking the visit to Chagu Chagu Umako as an occasion, one can tour the town of Morioka and touch its history as the castle town of the Nanbu domain and the culture of Tohoku.

Takizawa City, the departure point, is a nature-rich region spreading over the foot of majestic Mount Iwate. In this area, where horse breeding once flourished, the vestiges of a life in which people and horses lived together still remain. Visiting Onikoshi Sozen Shrine, the origin of Chagu Chagu Umako, and reflecting on the history of Iwate that has walked together with horses, is also a way of savoring unique to this festival.

Related Information

• Month: June (the second Saturday)
• Location: Takizawa City and Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture (Tohoku region)
• Route: From Onikoshi Sozen Shrine to Morioka Hachimangu Shrine
• Type: A folk event praying for the freedom from illness of horses, a marching event
• Cultural property, etc.: An intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as record-making should be taken; one of the Hundred Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved
• Features: The bond of people and horses in horse-breeding Iwate; a march of about 14 km; the chagu chagu sound made by about seven hundred bells per horse; the Sozen faith

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