F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-021

Tado Taisha Age-Uma Shinji (Horse-Climbing Ritual, Tado Festival)

多度大社 上げ馬神事（多度祭）たどたいしゃ あげうましんじ

On May 4th and 5th, at the foot of a 2-meter earthen ramp with a 40-degree incline, young men on horseback attempt to drive their horses up the slope in a single burst of speed. The horses that crest the top — and not all do — are read as divine oracles: the number of successful ascents, and which horses succeed, constitutes a forecast of the year's agricultural prosperity. This Age-Uma Shinji has been performed at Tado Taisha since the Nara Period and is one of Mie Prefecture's most significant shrine ceremonies, designated a Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property. In recent years, the ceremony has been subject to animal welfare concerns following injuries to horses on the steep ramp, resulting in public debate about the conditions under which traditional practices should be maintained and adapted. That debate — between cultural continuity and contemporary ethical standards — is itself a document of how Japan is navigating the pressure on living folk traditions.