Archery at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto City, Japan. #shortsviral #travel #japantravel #archery #kimono

Archery at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto City, Japan. #shortsviral #travel #japantravel #archery #kimono

Many young men and women who had their “Coming of Age” ceremony and earned a black belt in Kyudo came from all over Japan to participate. Outside the archery contest, the main attraction is the beautiful kimonos the contestants wear.
The contest originated in the late 16th century, dating back to 1606 when a samurai named Asaoka Heibei is said to have shot 51 arrows in rapid succession down the length of the veranda. In the beginning, archers fired arrows from the southern end of the veranda to the northern end, where a curtain-like ornament was erected as a target.
The Tōshiya ceased to be held in 1861 after 255 years. However, a contest based on the Tōshiya called Oh-mato Taikai, or Festival of the Great Target, continues today, drawing roughly 2,000 participants throughout Japan. Archers shoot arrows into targets approximately 50 – 100 centimetres in diameter and 60 meters (198 feet) away at the opposite end of the veranda.