Today I decided to head to Kamakura to check out a Yabusame Festival.  I anticipated a crowd so I left early to make sure to get a good spot to take pictures and watch.  Unfortunately for me, 2 million other people had the same bright idea.  But thanks to my Northern European genes, granting me a a good extra 6 inches in height compared to the average Japanese person, I was still able to find a good spot. 

Twice every year, in April during the Kamakura Spring Festival, and the other in September during the Shrine's annual festival, a show of Yabusame or mounted archery takes place. 

In the era of Yoritomo, cavalry battle was the most common method of warfare and the Minamoto clan was among the most skillful. How accurately they can hit the mark was an important yardstick to measure the martial skills and powers of samurai. It was a great honor for a samurai to participate this event and winners were well rewarded. Yoritomo initiated this competition in 1187 and made it a regular practice to help samurai enhance their skills of shooting. The Yabusame archery today is performed for the commemoration of samurai warriors of the Kamakura era. As it is one of the major events the Shrine holds, many spectators line up both side of the lane to watch the competition. TheYabusame lane was also the starting point of Kamakura High Roads, which spread north, northeast and east connecting Kamakura to other major regions including Kyoto. 

Also popular those days were dog-hunting games. If present-day pet-lovers ever watched this game, they might have fallen into a swoon because of its brutality. Twelve samurai on horseback compete shooting at ten released dogs in an enclosure and the game complete with 15 rounds. One hundred and fifty dogs were slaughtered in one competition. Due to its cruelty, there are no such games today.  (Or maybe its because dogs are a lot more expensive now.  After all, the Japanese economy has been doing pretty poorly since the early '90's)

To me, Yabusame looks like a cross between archery and jousting.  And likely it requires the skill and concentration of both.  Three square targets, made of Japanese cedar and fixed onto bamboo rods, are placed at intervals of about 70 meters on the left-hand side of a 255-meter track. Each costumed archer starts the horse when two people at both ends of the track raise their fans, one red and one white, and shoots at the three targets one after another as the horse gallops along the narrow track. All this happens in less than 20 seconds. If an arrow can't be shot in time, the archer has to drop it and use another arrow for the next target. The arrows and targets that were used in successful shots are treasured as good luck charms.

Each time an arrow makes a hit, a big roar goes up from the crowd, followed by applause. Sometimes the shots cause the target to shatter, making a big cracking noise.

After the riding and shooting were completed, the competitors proceeded to a temple building to tale part in a closing ceremony.  It was great to see the people dressed up in period garb.

After the Yabusame activities wound down, I spent the rest of the day wandering around the temple grounds.