Tado Festival

The Tado Festival is the annual grand festival held on May 4 and 5 each year at Tado Taisha, a shrine located in Tado-cho in the city of Kuwana, Mie Prefecture. Its central rite, the Ageuma Shinji, or rising-horse rite, is known throughout the country as a spirited event in which local young men ride horses and gallop at full speed up a steep slope, and it has long drawn many spectators.

The origins of the rising-horse rite are said to trace back some seven hundred years to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts, and it is a traditional event that has been handed down through a long history. On February 7, 1978, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Mie Prefecture. The sight of horses and young men challenging the steep slope is cherished as a scene representative of early summer in the northern Ise region, and the festival continues to this day as one in which the faith of Tado Taisha and the life of the region are bound together.

History and Origins

Tado Taisha is an ancient shrine whose principal deity is Amatsuhikone no Mikoto, a child deity of Amaterasu Omikami, and it has long drawn deep faith as the chief guardian shrine of the northern Ise region. Regarded as a shrine with a deep connection to Ise Grand Shrine, it has a history of welcoming many worshippers in association with the pilgrimage to Ise, as expressed in the saying that a pilgrimage to Ise without also visiting Tado is only half a pilgrimage.

The origin of the rising-horse rite that forms the heart of the Tado Festival is said to reach back some seven hundred years to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts. It is a rite deeply bound up with the agriculture of the region, and prayers for a good harvest and for the peace of the community have been expressed in the form of young men challenging a steep slope together with their horses. Fusing a spirit that honors martial vigor with agricultural ritual, this rite has been valued as one that conveys to the present the shape of local society since medieval times.

In the rising-horse rite of former times, an earthen wall was built at the very top of the slope, and the abundance or poverty of that year's crops was divined by the number of times the horses cleared that wall. The sight of the people watching with bated breath whether a horse could gallop up the slope and clear the wall was long cherished as the greatest highlight of this rite. The rite was borne by participants centered on the young men called shinji, and the whole community supported the festival.

In recent years, discussion arose over the nature of this rite from the standpoint of animal welfare, and from 2024 the style of the rite came to be reconsidered. Changes such as the removal of the earthen wall at the top of the slope were made, and the festival continues in a form that responds to the demands of the times while carrying on tradition. The region and Tado Taisha are facing the challenge of how a rite with a long history is to be handed down within the present age.

Highlights

The Rising Horses Galloping Up the Slope The greatest highlight of the Tado Festival is, of course, the rising-horse rite. The moment when a horse ridden by a young man gathers momentum and gallops in a single burst up the steep slope raises the tension and excitement of onlookers to their peak. In the sight of horse and rider as one challenging the slope is concentrated the spirited vigor handed down since the period of the Northern and Southern Courts.

The Service of the Shinji and the Bearers The rite is borne by local participants centered on the young men called shinji. In the figures of the young men who prepare body and mind for the festival and serve as the central actors of the rite appears the history of a community that has supported this tradition as a whole. The presence of bearers handed down across generations forms the very foundation of the festival.

The Two Days of May 4 and 5 The Tado Festival is conducted over the two days of May 4 and 5. Beginning with the eve rite of the grand festival, a varied array of events unfolds according to the sequence, including the entry of the riders, the riding of the course, and the entry to the Suga course. The structure in which the festival builds over two days conveys a depth as a festival rite that goes beyond a single isolated rite.

The Atmosphere Coloring Early Summer in Northern Ise In the fresh green of May, the precincts of Tado Taisha and their surroundings are wrapped in the fervor of the festival. Many people visit this festival, which heralds the arrival of early summer in the northern Ise region, from within and beyond the region, and spectators throng around the slope. The exhilaration of a rite performed against the backdrop of a historic shrine is something unique to this season.

The Crossing of Tradition and the Present Having undergone the change of style from 2024, the Tado Festival has entered a new stage of reconciling the handing down of tradition with modern consideration. The very process by which a long-continued rite is preserved and carried on while changing its form has become a point of note for those who visit the festival now. One can sense the essence of the prayer handed down amid change.

A Place of Faith at Tado Taisha Tado Taisha, the stage of the rising-horse rite, is an ancient shrine that draws wide faith as the chief guardian shrine of northern Ise. On the day of the festival one can come into contact with the solemn air of the shrine itself along with the rite, and the contrast between the spirited rite and the quiet shrine lends depth to the experience of the festival.

Event Information

• Date: May 4 and 5 each year
• Venue: Tado Taisha (Tado-cho, Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture)
• Central Rite: The rising-horse rite (young men ride and gallop up a steep slope)
• Main Events: The eve rite of the grand festival, the entry of the riders, the riding of the course, the entry to the Suga course, and others
• Cultural Property: Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Mie Prefecture (designated February 7, 1978)
• Note: From 2024, the style of the rite has been reconsidered from the standpoint of animal welfare

Related Events and Nearby Places

Tado Taisha, the stage of the Tado Festival, is an ancient shrine known as the chief guardian shrine of the northern Ise region. Its principal deity, Amatsuhikone no Mikoto, is regarded as a child deity of Amaterasu Omikami, and owing to its deep connection with Ise Grand Shrine it has a history of being visited together with the pilgrimage to Ise. It is a famous shrine visited by many worshippers on days other than the festival, and one can savor the history of the shrine itself together with the Tado Festival.

The area around Tado Taisha is a region blessed with the rich nature of Mount Tado, and a clear stream flows through the precincts, offering scenery that can be enjoyed in every season. May, the season of the festival, is beautiful with fresh greenery, and it is a time when one can enjoy both the spirited rite and the colors of nature. Not a few people visit in combination with climbing or hiking on Mount Tado.

Kuwana City, where Tado Taisha is located, is a historic town that opened at the estuary of the three Kiso rivers and flourished as a post town on the Tokaido. There are many attractions in the surrounding area, including the food culture beginning with the grilled clams of Kuwana, and the scenery along the Ibi and Nagara rivers. When visiting the Tado Festival, one can also enjoy the history and character of Kuwana.

Related Information

• Month: May (May 4 and 5 each year)
• Prefecture and Region: Kuwana, Mie Prefecture; Tokai (Kinki) region
• Host Shrine: Tado Taisha (chief guardian shrine of northern Ise; principal deity Amatsuhikone no Mikoto)
• Origin: The rising-horse rite is said to trace back some seven hundred years to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts
• Cultural Property: Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Mie Prefecture (designated 1978)
• Features: Known for the rising-horse rite in which young men ride and gallop up a steep slope; the style was reconsidered from 2024

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