Season Calendar -歳時記- 流鏑馬(yabusame)
horseback archery festival
Yabusame
Yabusame (horseback archery) is an ancient Japanese art of archery. It is a type of horsemanship practiced in samurai society, combining horsemanship and archery, and is a technique and ritual of shooting targets with arrow backed archery while riding a galloping horse. It is also a competition.
Yabusame (horseback archery) originated in the 6th century, when Emperor Kinmei, worried that the world was in disorder, had three targets shot from horseback in Usa (present-day Oita Prefecture) to pray for "peace under heaven and a good harvest".
The Usa Jingu Shrine celebrated the Emperor's accession to the throne in 2028, and since then, this ritual has become a regular annual event.
Costumes used for Yabusame (horseback archery) are introduced here.
Hunting costumes are worn by samurai when hunting in the mountains and on horseback archery (a type of competition for warriors). They wear a naeeboshi hat and a rush hat made of woven rushesover it, which is woven from rush grass.
They wear a 'suikan' (or hitatare(straight-leg dress),men's traditional clothes) underneath.
wears a IGOTE(Wear a shooting cage on your left arm) on his left arm and a yugake (leather glove, called a glove in yabusame archery) on his hand,
Around the waist is the mukabaki, a summer deerskin covering. (A summer deerskin leather covering called a mukabaki is worn around the waist.
The shoes worn on the feet are called monoi-shoes. Wearing a sword at the waist and a waist sword at the waist, Utsubo (arrowhead holder),During horseback archery, a ebira(arrowhead holder) is hung from which the archer holds the bow.
quote:Japan Traditional clothes
『That's the Japanese Samurai!』 and growing admiration for Japanese culture
Nowadays, Yabusame is popular not only in Japan but also overseas.
We hope you will come and see Yabusame archery.
We introduce the famous Yabusame horseback archery festivals in Kyushu.
This is Yabusame (horseback archery) at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Yabusame (horseback archery) at Sumiyoshi Shrine is,three places in the prefecture(Other shrines are Shijukusho Shrine in Takayama of Kimotsuki Town, and Oonamuchi Shrine in Hioki-shi Fukiage Town.), This is one of the yabusame (horseback archery) events held at Sumiyoshi Shrine.
In addition to the national security and good harvest, the festival also has the character of a yearly divination, and is strongly colored by the harvest thanksgiving in which farmers participate.
Prior to the horseback archery, a dedication ceremony is held in front of the gods, followed by entry into the stable. Currently, middle and high school students perform this major role.
The horses are ridden 300 meters along the approach from the torii gate to the shrine, shooting at three targets along the way from a horse that is running at a brisk pace. This is repeated three times.
It is said that if you bring back the target and thatch, your house will prosper, and the more arrows that hit the target, the better the next year will be. It was designated as a prefectural intangible folk cultural asset in 1981.
MIYAKO KIKAKU(美夜古) will also produce costumes for yabusame,
Miyako Kikaku produces costumes for yugote, suikan, hitatare, kari-shozoku, and makigari.
Please feel free to contact us.
