Kobudo (Traditional Martial Arts) at the Meiji Shrine Culture Day Festival

Every year on November third, thousands of martial artists gather on the grounds of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo to give demonstrations of their techniques. There’s karate, aikido, kyudo, and jujutsu, but also some very unusual arts such as yabusame (horseback archery), and nawa-jutsu (rope fighting). The day culminates with a demonstration of samurai firearms called hinawaju.

If you like photography, you’re sure to get some great shots of martial artists in action.

Here are some other photos of the festival:
http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/kobudo-at-meiji-shrine-culture-day-festival/
http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/horseback-archery/
http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/nawajutsu/
http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/kyudo-demonstration-at-the-meiji-shrine/
http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/samurai-reenactors-2/

http://qjphotos.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/kyudo-demonstration-at-the-meiji-shrine-2/

Horseback Archery

This horseback archery event took place in Takadanobaba on Sports Day, October 9. In yabusame demonstrations, the participants gallop a horse at full speed down a track, and try to hit three small targets that are only a hundred meters or so apart.
Here’s a video: http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1030

Another good yabusame demonstration is held at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Culture Day, November 3. It’s put on by the Takeda-ryu. According to their homepage, it’s possible to watch one of their practices on Sunday mornings, and they’re also recruiting new members: http://www.yabusame.or.jp/html/nyumon_J.html (Japanese only). Address: Kanagawa-ken, Miuri-shi, Hatsusemachi-koen 1140, Miura Kokusai Joba Kurabu, TEL 0467-22-1929

They have an English page at: http://www.yabusame.or.jp/english/

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Horseback Archery

Horseback archery (yabusame) demonstration in Nikko. There is a good demonstration of yabusame coming up on November 3 at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.