A farm that raises only indigenous Japanese horses has opened near a shrine known as a "sacred site of horses" in Shiga Prefecture, and its owner is intent on breeding more of them to preserve the species.
Japanese horses were once raised across the country to work in fields and transport goods and people. However, the indigenous horse population declined as modern transportation developed and there are only some 1,700 left, the Japan Equine Affairs Association says.
Ikumi Isobe, the 33-year-old owner of the Mikarinonomori farm, was engaged in projects to preserve indigenous horses and promote traditional horseback military arts at a different farm she used to work for in Yamanashi Prefecture.