Yabusame

Japanese Horseback Archery

Yabusame is a traditional Japanese archery performed while riding a horse in dedication to the deities and praying for universal peace, a rich harvest and people’s health. The method has been established 800 years ago and is maintained and practiced mainly by the Takeda School of Horseback Archery and Ogasawara School.

Yabusame is a sacred ritual where the archers shoot at three targets to their left from galloping horses. They do not just compete over their martial skills but as they shoot arrows in prayer, it is regarded as of a highly spiritual nature.

Shooting arrows from a galloping horse is called kisha or umayumi. There are three forms of kisha namely yabusame, kasagake, and inu-ou-mono. Among these, yabusame is regarded as special for being a sacred ritual.