** For 2021, due to COVID-19, the event will be scaled down and the parade won’t be going ahead. Instead there will be separate events in Takizawa, Morioka, and Yahabe **
A horse festival in Iwate Prefecture in which approximately 100 elaborately costumed horses are ridden and led from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa to Morioka Hachimangu Shrine.
The name comes from the onomatopoeic ‘chagu chagu’ sound that the bells worn by the horses make as they are led between the shrines. The festival takes place during the rainy season, but organisers insist that the weather is always good on the Chagu Chagu Umakko.
The horses are gathered at Onikoshi Shrine at 8.30am and the parade begins at 9.30am arriving at Morioka Hachimangu Shrine just before 2pm.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, many events have been canceled. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
