At 1:00 pm on May 3rd, the sound of horseshoes echoes through Tadasu no Mori at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto.
``Yabusame Shinji''. This is a Shinto ritual that is the prelude to the Aoi Festival, in which an archer wearing court costume shoots three targets one after another from a galloping horse.
🏇 Running through the Tadasu Forest - Prelude to the Aoi Festival
The Yabusame ritual at Shimogamo Shrine is held as a prelude to the Aoi Festival (Kamo Festival) held on May 15th to pray for safety. Archers run at full speed across a 500 meter long horse field set up on the approach to Tadasu no Mori, shooting at three targets.
The archer's costume is not that of a samurai from the Kamakura period, but rather the style of a nobleman from the Heian period. This is because Yabusame at Shimogamo Shrine has a different lineage of imperial court events than the horse archery of samurai families. Archers in brightly colored costumes ride horses through the fresh greenery of the Tadasu Forest, and when their arrows hit the target, the target board cracks with a dry sound. At that moment, applause and cheers erupt from the roadside.
Points of appreciation
This is the point to see the Yabusame ritual.
- Time and place:In 2026, it will be held on May 3rd (Sunday/Holiday) from 13:00 to 15:30. The venue is Tadasunomori Baba, within the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine. Approximately 12 minutes walk from Demachiyanagi Station on the Keihan Railway.
- Viewing:There will be paid viewing seats and free viewing areas on both sides of the horse track. Paid seats are sold in advance and often fill up quickly after sales begin, so early confirmation is required. Free viewing areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and depending on the location, you can experience the thrill of running horses up close.
- photograph:Due to the fast speed of the horses, photos taken with a smartphone tend to be blurry, so we recommend using continuous shooting mode. The speed around the curve of the horse field is slightly lower, so it is a good spot to capture the archer's expression and the moment he shoots the arrow.
- Relationship with Aoi Festival:This Yabusame ritual is one of a series of pre-rites that precede the Aoi Festival/Roto-no-gi on May 15th. In addition to Yabusame on May 3rd, the Saiōdai Purification Ceremony (a ritual in which Saiōdai purify themselves in the Mitarai River) is held on May 4th.
🌿 A space called Tadasu no Mori
Tadasu no Mori, where Yabusame is held, is a virgin forest of about 124,000 square meters that spreads within the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine. Broad-leaved trees such as zelkova, hackberry, and muknoki grow thick here, and even though it is located within Kyoto city, it is said that vegetation from the Jomon period remains. It is also included in the World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".
Yabusame Day is a special day when the sounds of horseshoes and bowstrings echo throughout this forest. Tadasu no Mori is in the season of fresh greenery, and the sunlight filtering through the trees is beautiful, and you can enjoy the fresh greenery of Kyoto just by walking along the approach through the forest before or after yabusame. In the precincts of Shimogamo Shrine, there is also the ``Kamotarashi Chaya'', which is said to be the origin of mitarashi dango, and is a place where many people stop by while visiting the shrine.