Yabusame (Japanese Horseback Archery) at Meiji Shrine on Culture Day 流鏑馬

Yabusame is mounted archery that is both sport (martial arts) and religious ritual. The earliest samurai were mounted archers and Yabusame was a way to keep up their skills. In Shinto, Yabusame is done to entertain the gods in return for blessings or divinations of the future.
November 3rd is a public holiday known as Culture Day (Bunka no Hi) and at Meiji Shrine in Harajuku they do Yabusame where they shoot at hardened paper targets and small clay pots.

[@noname-dk7ri]

1:51 ここチョーかっこいい

[@keithmartland6463]

Certainty beats baking cakes at the local village fair, no wonder the Japanese have inspired so many people over the years!

[@sheska8207]

Thanks for the video, I really enjoy these kinds of video's!

[@zzz683ytb]

チャップスのようなものを着けてるなと思ったら、
行縢（むかばき）という物なんですね。
勉強になります

[@RuneR96]

The slow-mo cheers made my day :D

[@yeaman992]

This is really awesome!

[@watcher8o]

I've wondered if these are local officials (religious or political), descendants of the samurai who have inherited these rituals from family, paid actors, or merely volunteers from a club who are asked to recreate the events...?

[@anamarievivero7774]

watcher8o
They are everything you said.
They are all inherited , means their ancestors are Archers.
They been doing this for many centuries, to perform in front of The Emperors and Shogunates.
Their ancestors are a Warriors then.
If you have a time , try to search YABUSAME history of Japan. 🥰

[@anamarievivero7774]

No actors allowed.

[@anamarievivero7774]

They are A Clan.
But they have YABUSAME archers students too.... I guess! 😉

[@samuraijackoff5354]

Most of these people were descendants of warriors, especially the teachers, there are students though.

[@okgost3352]

弓道の試合やったところやん

[@user-alex8to7q]

平安時代に遡った気分。

[@user-vn6gg7ky4f]

居合も見てほしかった😅