Four Seasons in Japan: Yabusame-shinji

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Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture performs Yabusame(horseback archery) as part of the shrine's annual festival on September 16th and as part of the Kamakura Festival in April. The annual festival is held from September 14th to 16th. An archer on a running horse shoots three arrows with a turnip-shaped head at three wooden targets. Yabusame was one of practices to hone warrior skills. Currently, Yabusame events are held as a Shinto ritual at shrines in various parts of Japan and attract many tourists.

I recently came across a sentence as an explanation for Yabusame like this:
Mounted samurai shoot arrows at peasants. They use dummy targets these days though.
It's a lie. However, there are some records that some warriors shot arrows at peasants.
Dog-shooting called Inu oumono was also one of the practices. Although padded or blunted arrows were used as a way of preventing injury to the dogs, they must have had pain. Of course this practice is not done now.

It is said the shrine's annual festival were derived from Hojo-e(放生会) that MINAMOTO no Yoritomo(1147-1199) held on the 15th day of the 8th month(in the lunar calendar) in 1187. Yabusame was also performed at this event.Hojoe is a religious ritual in which captive animals are released into the wild to admonish against the taking of life. This ritual is also held on the 16th.

The Hirosaki Castle International Horseback Archery Competition was held as part of the Hirosaki swastika Festival in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture on September 16th. Archers from the United States, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Iran, South Korea and Japan were going to participate in the competition. The archer from South Korea won the competition.

Horseback archery by jeremydeades /flickr

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2011-04-17

流鏑馬 / Yabusame by ys* /flickr

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2011-04-17

流鏑馬 / Yabusame by ys* /flickr

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2011-04-17

Yabusame in Kamakura by chaojikazu /flickr

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2011-04-17

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2005-09-16

Yabusame in Kamakura by chaojikazu /flickr

archer in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2005-09-16

Yabusame in Kamakura by Steve Nagata /flickr

P1000749 by jeremydeades /flickr

in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2004-04-18

in Kanagawa Prefecture
shooting date:2006-05-28

GOTCHA! by maggie loves hopey /flickr

Yabusame target successfully hit, Tokyo
shooting date:2006-04-15

Yabusame competitor by maggie loves hopey /flickr

archer and judges, Tokyo
shooting date:2006-04-15

Horihachiman-jinja Shrine(堀八幡神社) in Akiota-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture
shooting date:2007-10-07

Yabusame Panorama by nickyfern /flickr

Yabusame Riders by nickyfern /flickr

Archers at Horihachiman-jinja Shrine(堀八幡神社) in Akiota-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture
shooting date:2007-10-07

An archer shoots an arrow at a wooden target at Horihachiman-jinja Shrine(堀八幡神社) in Akiota-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture. shooting date:2007-10-07