All About Yabusame (Horseback Archery) Festival in Kamakura, Japan
In my opinion, Kamakura is the best day trip destination from Tokyo. Interesting cultures are concentrated there because Kamakura was the capital of Japan in the Middle Ages. No need to say how interesting Kamakura is when there is a traditional festival lasting from the Middle Ages; that’s Yabusame Festival.
Yabusame Shinji Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is definitely one of the most interesting, and exciting festivals in Japan.
In this article, I’ll write explanations about this festival, upload the photos, tell you travel tips from the viewpoint of a Tokyo local who experienced it, and write a travel guide to visit Kamakura. Enjoy it!
Contents
Fast Facts about Yabusame Festival
Being organized is the key of Tokyo Direct Guide. You can learn all from the 4 important facts that I summarized in the following.
1: Festival of Horseback Archery
Yabusame is an art of samurai warriors in Japan in old times. The archers ride a horse, and shoot the three targets while running. It is so exciting for visitors to see, and so difficult for the archers!
2: Lasting for 800 Years
This festival has been held since the ages Minamoto samurai clan (also, Genji) built Kamakura as the new capital. The Minamoto samurais built Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and started to offer their arts as important rites. Today’s Yabusame Festival is JUST AS it was in the Middle Ages.
3: In REAL Samurai Costumes
The Archers are wearing the costumes just as REAL samurais wear. This festival has not changed since the Middle Ages.
4: On 16 September Every Year
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is the biggest shinto shrine in Kamakura, and they hold Reitaisai (means, “regular big festival”. The biggest festival of the shrine.) every September. Yabusame is the highlight of it and held on 16 September, the third and last day.
How Yabusame Festival Is Like
When you learned what Yabusame is, it’s time to see the festival itself!
First comes a parade of the archers and priests at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Everyone in the parade is wearing kimonos and armors of samurais. Just in case, I’d like to emphasize that this is not for entertainment nor tourism at all but for a REAL traditional festival. So exciting for visitors to see that kind of things!
Some local elementary and junior high school students participate this festival as the role of children. Before the archery starts, make sure that flash of your camera is turned OFF not to surprise the horses – Don’t worry, there are English announcements during the festival, so you won’t get into a trouble.
When all the rites and parade end, it is the big time for the archers. Yabusame starts!
3 archers go first. As I write later in this article, they are the best archers who have the roles of this festival. Be prepared!
There are 3 targets in the run and visitors are watching between two of them. We can learn how hard they practiced yabusame for this festival – They prepare the arrow on the horse at FULL SPEED, shoot the target without any moment to stop to check it out, take out the next arrow on the horseback at full speed, shoot the next target, and repeat this once more! That’s just amazing, isn’t it?
When the three archers finish their Yabusame, they proudly go back. Let’s give them big applause!
The main is these three, but it is too early to go home. More than ten archers come next. When you are used to seeing Yabusame, you can afford to see the details. For example, focus on the moment when the target is shot by the archer.
Look! The wooden target in the right is SMASHED into pieces! The arrow is not made of metal – this is a festival, not a battle in the Middle Ages – but we can see how powerful it is.
I hope you can feel how fast they run in my photos. Horses are so serious, too.
When all the archers finish shooting, there is a parade again.
Can you feel how interesting and exciting Yabusame Festival is? I was really happy to see it, and I believe you will, too!
6 Travel Tips by a Tokyo Local
I’d like to list up the tips for excitement and convenience for you here. If you are visiting the festival, I hope they are helpful for you!
1: Save Your Place 1 Hour Before Yabusame Starts
Yabusame begins at 13:00. But it is too late to arrive there at 13:00 because most of the paths in the shrine are closed to prepare for Yabusame. If you are too late, you can’t even enter the areas to see the festival.
To avoid this, it is advised to save your place AT LEAST 1 hour before. For example, I am the one who did so. I was lucky enough to find a good place at noon, but I feel I should have been there earlier. I saw some visitors who didn’t manage to find a space and found the paths got blocked while strolling.
You don’t need to be there too early – For example, it is time-wasting in the interesting town if sitting there at 9:00.
2: Take a SHEET
I’m talking about a SHEET, not a seat. Yes, the festival starts at 13:00, but that’s for the archers. They have some rites to purify themselves at the main building, and this is what starts at 13:00. We visitors need to wait more than half an hour to see Yabusame.
The interesting stories about the festival (in English and Japanese) flow from the speakers, but they do not soften tiredness of your knees!
It is advised to take a SHEET to sit down on the ground.
Who regrets not doing so? Me.
3: Be Prepared for the First 3 Archers
As I mentioned, the most important archers are the first three. They have the roles of the famous samurais of Minamoto clan. It is quite natural that the best archers take these roles.
4: Camera Tips to Avoid Bad Photos
The horses run VERY FAST, so it is not very easy to take great photos although we are just in front of the course.
To avoid regrets, find the camera manual first. Even if you don’t think your camera is very professional, today’s cameras are amazingly good beyond the expectations of most travelers. Look for the ways to focus moving things. Concretely, your camera has “sports mode,” “bird mode” or something like that, doesn’t it? That will work well!
Importantly, “High Speed Photography” to shoot many photos in 1 second exists for this kind of situation.
Don’t forget turning off the flash – It’s for horses!
If you are a professional photographer, you just need to prepare your camera that suits Yabusame Festival.
5: When the Festival Ended
It’s too early to go back home. The archers are still in the shrine.
I saw some people taking photos with them. Although this is a serious festival, you might have some chances to do so.
Also, there are many things to see in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. (…I know this pronunciation is a nightmare for some of you. I wondered if there is some ways to make it easy in vain. )
6: Images of Minamoto Clan among Japanese People
Travel guidebooks do not talk about REAL feelings of the locals. It is the specialty of Tokyo Direct Guide.
Think of historical characters in your country. Some have good reputations and others have bad images, don’t they? Heroes who changed the society to be better, savors of the country, wise and merciful kings, complicated philosophers, cunning warriors, corrupt politicians, cruel tyrants, eccentric artists… This happens in Japan, too.
How about Minamoto clan? Are they popular or not?
They definitely have good images! Japanese people think that the characters in Minamoto clan are beautiful and elegant! They are so popular that they often appear in samurai movies and soap operas. It is not rare that Minamoto samurais are played by “handsome” actors who have many teenage fans.
The rival of Minamoto clan (also called, Genji) was Taira clan (also, Heike). These two samurai clans are at the center of Japanese medieval times. Not only in politics, they appear in classic literature on Japanese textbooks at school. Japanese people will never say that Taira clan has good images – They are often considered to be “fat pig” characters who are totally arrogant. On the contrary, Minamoto clan has even brilliant legends.
Minamoto clan is cool. As a result, Yabusame Festival in Kamakura sounds very cool to Japanese locals.
In Conclusion
I really want to say that Yabusame Festival is nothing but AMAZING. There are few things that are as epic as this. I have reported many interesting festivals in Tokyo and other places in Japan on this blog, and this is definitely one of the bests for me.
If you got interested in Yabusame Festival reading this article, or have been thinking of visiting it, you’ll be the next to witness it!
Kamakura Travel Guide
How to Get to Kamakura
From Tokyo Station: Catch a JR Yokosuka Line train. It is a 60 minutes ride.
From Shinagawa Station: Catch a JR Yokosuka Line train. It is a 50 minutes ride.
From Shinjuku: Catch a JR Shonan Shinjuku Line train. It is a 53 minutes ride.
See The Easiest JR Train Map of Tokyo by Tokyo Direct Guide
How to Get to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
Go out of East Exit of Kamakura Station. It is a 10 minutes walk.
Official Website in English: http://www.tsurugaoka-hachimangu.jp/
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Kamakura, Samurais’ Old Capital with The Great Buddha – Top Places for Autumn Leaves in Japan #02
All About Hokokuji Temple, Kamakura, Japan – A Zen Temple with Bamboo Garden
Perfect Guide to Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura – Japan’s First & Leading Zen Temple
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