Samurai warriors take the field at Hibarigahara… The main day of the Soma Nomaoi Festival, this year Sunday 25 May, features two of the festival’s biggest events – first, the pulse-pounding horse races by warriors in armour, then the ‘shinki soudatsusen’, a battle on horseback to capture sacred flags launched into the air by fireworks. The number of races and horses changes every year, but the festival typically hosts over 500 participants, who parade through the streets on Sunday morning. In th