Sumiyoshi Shrine Sueyoshi Hojosai Yabusame Horseback Archery

About this event

This is the yabusame (horseback archery) dedicated at the "Sueyoshi no Hojosai," a traditional event passed down in Soo City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Held annually on the third Sunday of November at Sumiyoshi Shrine, it takes place to pray for bountiful harvests this year and abundant crops in the coming year. While the exact origins of the yabusame are unknown, records appear in the "Sangoku Meisho Zue" compiled by the Satsuma Domain in the late Edo period, and in modern times, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Kagoshima Prefecture in 1981 (Showa 56). On the day, Shinto rituals begin at 1:00 PM, with archers and attendants ascending the long stone staircase of Sumiyoshi Shrine, where the gohei offering ceremony is conducted in the main sanctuary. Afterward, they enter the riding grounds, and the horseback archery commences upon the signal of the presiding official. First, a ritual known as "Karabasiri" (unarmed gallop) is performed, followed by three mounted archers galloping down an approximately 300-meter course to shoot at three target locations. This yabusame run is repeated three times. It is said that when an arrow hits the target, a rich harvest is assured; it is also believed that taking home a struck target and wiping one's house brings prosperity, and displaying a struck arrow in one's home wards off evil spirits. The host venue, Sumiyoshi Shrine, sits halfway up Mount Sumiyoshi and is surrounded by a sacred atmosphere enveloped by giant cedar and fir trees.

Venue

Sumiyoshi Shrine

3995-1 Ninokata, Sueyoshi-cho, Soo, Kagoshima 899-8605