Mie: Animal Welfare Concerns Alter 700-Year-Old Shinto Ritual
20:00 JST, March 17, 2024
KUWANA, Mie — Concerns over animal welfare are prompting changes to a 700-year-old Shinto ritual in which young men on horseback climb over a nearly 2-meter-high mud wall.
In the traditional “Ageuma Shinji” (horse-jumping ritual) at Tado Taisha shrine in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, horses with young riders run up a steep slope and jump over the mud wall placed at the top of the slope during the event.
Whether fortune will be good or bad is predicted by how many horses succeed in jumping over the wall.
However, during the event last May, a horse broke its leg and was euthanized. Since the incident, the shrine has received an outpouring of criticism by phone and e-mail.
An animal rights group filed a criminal complaint against the shrine claiming that the event was “an act of animal abuse in the name of a Shinto ritual or traditional event.”
Tado Taisha announced measures to improve the situation at a press conference on Feb. 22. The shrine removed the mud wall, made the hill less steep and spread sand over it so that the horses could easily run up the slope.
Horse handlers are also required to abstain from alcohol and to refrain from any violent or intimidating behavior toward the horses. The behavior, such as kicking horses, has long been considered a problem.
The improvements were based on the recommendations of an external committee of experts.
“We would like to continue this ritual in the future as a ritual that fits the times,” said Naohiro Hirano, the chief priest of the shrine.
This year’s ritual will be held on May 4 and 5.
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Famous Weeping Cherry Tree in Full Blossom in Fukushima Pref. Town
-
Traditional Japanese Knife Store in Tokyo’s Ningyocho District Dates to Edo Period
-
Diamond Fuji Observed in Shizuoka Pref., Attracting Photographers
-
Liven Up the Dinner Table With Homemade Ham
-
Vows to be ‘Ambitious’ at Hokkaido Statue Hit 100,000; Famous Quote Attributed to Sapporo Agricultural College Professor Clark Lives On
JN ACCESS RANKING
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’
- JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals