Ringing in The Harvest; Traditional Horse Parade Held to Show Appreciation for Draft Horses After Rice-Planting Season

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:06 JST, June 15, 2025

Horses clad in vivid, decorative trappings walk during the Chagu Chagu Umakko parade in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, on Saturday, with their bells echoing.

The annual event is held to show appreciation for draft horses after the rice-planting season and to pray for an abundant harvest; its name is inspired by the tinkling sound of the bells fastened to the horses. About 70 horses set out from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in the city and walked for 14 kilometers to reach Morioka Hachimangu shrine in Morioka in 4½ hours.