04/11/2024
Horse archers performing 𝒀𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆, a martial art purifying ritual at Meiji Shrine, celebrating their Grand Autumn Festival.
In Shinto faith, bows and arrows serve not only as weapons but also as symbols with the power to ward off evil spirits.
After a brief ceremony, an arrow is shot to the sky as an offering to the deities. Archers then shoot at targets from a galloping horse, to bless all with tenka taihei (universal peace), gokoku hojo (abundant harvests), and banmin sokusai (health and prosperity for all people).
The horse archers are dressed in heavy but ornate traditional hunting attire from the Kamakura period (12th–13th century), a period when this martial art was formally developed.
Traditionally, these hunters were from warrior and noble classes and wore kasa hats, shozoku (ceremonial kimonos), and igote (armguards) embroidered with family crests. Continuing this tradition from the Kamakura-period samurai, It looks as if they were transported into our modern world today.
Scroll to the last picture to see a breakdown and explanation of the details of their traditional wear
