Yabusame at Yoshiho Hachiman Shrine

About this event

Yabusame (horseback archery), a sacred ritual ceremony of Yoshiho Hachiman Shrine handed down in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, is a traditional event where arrows are shot at targets from galloping horses to divine the harvest outlook and suitable rice varieties for the following year. Designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture, its origins are said to date back to the Kamakura period, or to have begun when the Satomi clan, rulers of Awa Province, sought to spread martial arts among their domain's people. The targets represent early-ripening, mid-ripening, and late-ripening rice varieties; 1-meter-square boards attached to the tips of bamboo poles approximately 5 meters long are set up at three locations along a straight riding track of about 200 meters. An archer called a 'negi' shoots a total of 9 arrows, and whether the harvest will be abundant or poor, as well as the optimal rice varieties, is divined based on the accuracy of the shots.

Venue

Yoshiho Hachiman Shrine

253 Naka, Kamogawa, Chiba 296-0111