Yanagawa City Mihashira Shrine A Japanese horseback archery exhibition

A Japanese horseback archery exhibition at Mihashira Shrine in Yanagawa City

A Japanese horseback archery exhibition is held at Mihashira Shrine on a track with a row of cherry blossom trees in full bloom on each side.
The Japanese horseback archery exhibition is introduced via beautiful pictures and videos.

Mihashira Shrine surrounded by cherry blossom trees in full bloom

The date and location 

March, 2019

Mihashira Shrine, Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture

The main hall of Mihashira Shrine


The cherry blossom 

The cherry blossom trees in full bloom


Yanagawa City is famous for canal boat tours.
The docks are surrounded by cherry blossom trees in full bloom



The track for Japanese horseback archer 

The special truck for Japanese horseback archery at the precinct of Mihashira Shrine

The track: 250m

The targets: three targets (the first target, the second target, the third target)


The track for Japanese horseback archery
A photo taken from the start point of the track

The program for the Japanese horseback archery exhibition 

The photos below show the whole program for the Japanese horseback archery exhibition

The program for the Japanese horseback archery exhibition


A Video of the Japanese horseback archery rite,'Hon-gi'

The video below shows Yabusame rites 'Hon-gi' and 'Kisya-Hasamimono'.
The former part of this video shows an archer shooting at the second target and the latter shows an archer shooting at the third target.

A Video of the Japanese horseback archery exhibition at Mihashira Shrine


Photos of the Japanese horseback archery rite, 'Hon-gi'

Soke Minamoto Nagamune, the master of Ogasawara-ryu Yabusame(Ogasawara Yabusame school), succeeded from the ruling family of the Kokura domain 

A photo of his second shot taken from the target side


A photo of his third shot taken from the front



Archer Akira Ogura 

A photo of his second shot taken from the viewers' side

A photo of his second shot taken from the target side


A photo of his third shot taken from the front


Archer Rika Tateno 

A photo of her second shot taken from the viewers' side

A photo of her third shot taken from the front

Archer Masayuki Takahashi 

A photo of his third shot taken from the front


Archer Takafumi Chiba 

A photo of his second shot taken from the viewers' side

A photo of his third shot taken from the front

A photo of the 'Horo-hiki'rite

The 'Horo-hiki' rite is performed by an apprentice archer after archers shoot.
In the 'Horo-hiki' rite, an apprentice archer rides a horse with a streamer, 'Horo,' on its shoulder. This rite shows the determination of the apprentice to be a good archer.

Apprentice archer Shoko Matsumoto 

the 'Horo-hiki'rite