A samurai archer moments before he fires his arrow Kamakura is a town about an hour Southwest of Tokyo that holds the biggest Yabusame (horse archery) tournament in Japan. I was lucky enough to catch this event in September as part of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shuki Reitaisai Festival which lasts 4 days but has archery on the 16th. The rules are simple: Run your trusty steed down a narrow path and strike 3 wooden targets all in succession while keeping full speed. I dunno, there is just something about a Samurai who uses a bow instead of a sword that just never gets old; and the echo of broken wooden targets has everyone going "eeeeehhhhhh?" The traditional period clothing and the Shinto shrine setting only adds to the charm. If you can't make it here, Nikko has a large event in May.
For a place to stay while in Kamakura, check out these local hotels.
For a place to stay while in Kamakura, check out these local hotels.
Kamakura holds the most well-known Yabusame event
The horses and their masters prepare for the show. The white one looks a little depressed.
Great imagery or lousy photography? You decide!
Charging at full speed while yelling something epic in Japanese. He later died.
The majestic beasts emerge, for a winner hath been declared
The Reitaisai Festival is actually a long 4 day event with many great ceremonies. But for me, if it's not horse archery, it's fail.
No comments:
Post a Comment