Samurai Sport
It's called yabusame, and it is the sport of the samurai.
Each year, archers in feudal shooting gear climb on their decorated
mounts for a lively competition on the beach of Zushi, a town just
south of Tokyo, galloping in the sand as thousands of onlookers cheer
and shout. The first competition was held here in 1199. I was not lucky enought to watch it live even if traveled all around Japan. This sport can be traced back to 800 years:
-The targets, held about 2 meters aloft on small poles, three of them on a runway of only 150 meters, giving the archer just enough time to raise his bow, load and shoot - three times - while spurring on the horse.
I hope I can watch this sport one day before leaving Japan!
Each year, archers in feudal shooting gear climb on their decorated
mounts for a lively competition on the beach of Zushi, a town just
south of Tokyo, galloping in the sand as thousands of onlookers cheer
and shout. The first competition was held here in 1199. I was not lucky enought to watch it live even if traveled all around Japan. This sport can be traced back to 800 years:
-The targets, held about 2 meters aloft on small poles, three of them on a runway of only 150 meters, giving the archer just enough time to raise his bow, load and shoot - three times - while spurring on the horse.
I hope I can watch this sport one day before leaving Japan!