Namekata

Namekata lies along the Pacific coast of Mutsu, where the Sōma family established itself after moving north from Shimōsa in the fourteenth century. The family's horse-chasing rite, the Nomaoi, became an annual event of the Nakamura domain. Horses were driven across a broad pasture and captured for dedication at the Odaka shrine, honouring the Sōma clan's deity as well as preserving a tradition of horsemanship.