🐎 Horse-Shaped GPS Art Around Tado Shrine 🗻
This 23km GPS art course invites you to draw the shape of a horse as you explore the culturally rich and nature-filled surroundings of Tado Shrine in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture. Tado Shrine is deeply connected to horses, known for its enduring “White Horse Legend,” which tells of a sacred white steed believed to serve the gods. Even today, visitors may encounter the shrine’s living divine horse, Kinzango, who resides within the shrine grounds. The area is also famous for the dynamic Ageuma Shinji, a ritual held each May in which riders urge their horses up a steep earthen slope—an event celebrated as a symbol of bravery and fortune.
The course winds through a variety of local highlights, including the Tado Community Center, the Yamato Takeru Ozusaki Historic Site, Birokusanso, the popular leisure spot Shinme-no-Yu, and Tado Station. The landscape unfolds at the foothills of the Tado Mountains, where rivers, forests, and traditional village scenery blend harmoniously. Historically, this region served as a key course linking Ise with Owari, contributing to the area’s cultural depth and long-standing traditions. Many of the customs surrounding Tado Shrine, especially those relating to horses, continue to shape daily life in the community.
As you follow the course, you’ll experience both the quiet majesty of the natural environment and the strong cultural identity rooted in centuries of worship and folklore. The long course offers a rewarding challenge, perfect for runners and walkers seeking a meaningful New Year outing. By the time you complete your 23km journey, you will have traced a horse across the map—an homage to the divine steeds that have long been cherished in Tado.
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
