Saturday, November 04, 2006


YABUSAME

Yesterday, which was Culture Day, a holiday, we joined the crowds at Omi-jingu in Otsu to watch the yabusame (horseback archery) event, which is always a close-up thrill. Perfect day for it, too. With three shots per run and about 40-50 yards between targets for letting go of the reins, then grabbing, notching, aiming and shooting each arrow from the back of a galloping horse, one of the archers hit all three of the smallest bulls-eyes on one run! The crowd went wild!














































































If you want to become a yabusame ite (archer), enroll here...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love all the pictures you share from Japan! It feels really wonderful to connect this way. I visited another site I read where the term "ubuntu" is discussed. You may like the entry:
http://limericksavant.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the edification. Never heard of this sport, but looks interesting. It is amazing that the horses know what to do and where to go even when the riders drop the reins. Not distracted by crowds etc. They must be as highly trained and skilled as the archers...

Anonymous said...

Amazing skill...wonderful photos. Thank you!

Maya's Granny said...

Do you find yourself thinking about how so many cultures discovered archery and horses and, when they could, combined the two? I find myself remembering movies showing Indians surrounding the wagon train and shooting arrows into it. Just amazing. The world is so small today that we can see how small it was when it was big.