A Takahama festival featuring horses adorned with bells and artificial flowers, and young people racing around a circular track
Omanto Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first Saturday and Sunday of October each year / Every year
- Location
- Kasuga grounds (inside Oyama Ryokuchi Park)
- Area
- Aichi Prefecture・Takahama City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
A festival passed down in Takahama City, where horses and young people race around a circular track as one.
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Bariston File:Murakiomanto1.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Bariston File:Murakiomanto2.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: Bariston File:Murakiomanto3.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.About Omanto Festival
The Omanto Festival is a Takahama City festival in which young people wearing coats and jika-tabi boots leap onto running horses adorned with bells and artificial flowers, then race around a circular track together with the horses.
The festival is offered at Kasuga Jinja and Yatsurugi-sha, with the observances at these two shrines described as especially grand.
The festival has been passed down as an offering made jointly by the of the upper and lower Takahama districts.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the horse race around a circular track about 36 meters in diameter.
Horses adorned with bells and artificial flowers run inside a fence made of logs, while young people leap onto them and race around together.
Information notes that miko dances, , and are offered at the kagura hall in the Kasuga Jinja grounds during the festival. You can enjoy these performances alongside the events at the track.
A Takahama festival featuring horses adorned with bells and artificial flowers, and young people racing around a circular track
What to expect
During the festival, ujiko form a procession with the horses and enter Kasuga Jinja in a procession. The horses then race around the circular track as an offering.
In the past, people traveled with the horses between Yatsurugi-sha and Kasuga Jinja. Today, the procession is described as gathering at Suzaki Park before dawn, then entering Kasuga Jinja in a procession at daybreak.
Miko dances, kagura, and hayashi are offered at the kagura hall, and the annual event information also lists a performance of Urayasu no Mai.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Kasuga Jinja grounds (inside Oyama Ryokuchi Park) / 2 Kasuga-cho, Takahama City, Aichi Prefecture
- Train and bus
Meitetsu Mikawa Line: about a 10-minute walk from Mikawa-Takahama Station / In 2026, free shuttle buses will run from Mikawa-Takahama Station and other locations every 15–20 minutes
- By car
Traffic restrictions will be in place around the jinja in 2026, so please do not come by private car.
- Parking
In 2026, parking is listed at the west parking lot of Jōshōin Temple (Aoki-cho, 60 spaces, free)
Address 2 Kasuga-cho, Takahama City, Aichi Prefecture
Dates and season
- Season
The first Saturday and Sunday of October each year
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Aichi Prefecture / Takahama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Traffic restrictions will be in place around the jinja in 2026, and visitors are asked to refrain from coming by private car.
Use the free shuttle bus at the designated bus stops. Special bicycle parking is listed near the restrooms on the north or south side of Oyama Ryokuchi Park.
Origins and History of Omanto Festival
The oldest record of a festival in the Takahama district dates to 1803. At that time, a festival was held to pray for rain, and a lion was offered.
The “Gosaiji Ryakki” (Brief Records of Festival Events), covering 1834 to 1872, records that horses and lions were offered during prayers for rain and thanks for answered prayers, as well as at ridgepole-raising ceremonies and shrine relocations.
It was formerly held on October 3 and the 4th, but the dates changed to the current Saturday and Sunday schedule in Showa 51.
Official information
2026年の開催案内：春日神社「令和八年度 高浜おまんと祭りのお知らせ」
t-kasuga-jinja.jp和八年度 高浜おまんと祭りのお知らせ
Omanto Festival at a Glance
The Omanto Festival is a Takahama district festival offered at Kasuga Jinja and Yatsurugi-sha.
A major highlight is the sight of horses adorned with bells and artificial flowers running around the circular track as young people leap onto them and race together as one.
The festival’s character as a local tradition is also reflected in its connection to prayers for rain, recorded as far back as 1803, and in the procession of ujiko entering the jinja.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
