Activities & Events Calendar

This traditional ritual and show of bravery (Ogasawara Archery Horseback Ritual) is held every year on the first Sunday of April. Many visitors flock to the shrine grounds from Japan and elsewhere for a chance to see this once-yearly sacred ceremony. In fact, the 250 meter-long horse-riding track is the oldest of its kind still in use at present. During the Muromachi Period, it was built in imitation of the horse-riding track at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and as the only horse-riding track in Japan that retains this original shape, it has been designated a historcial landmark by Shimane Prefecture. Dressed in Kamakura Period hunting costumes, the riders will shoot arrow after arrow from horseback, tension rising amongst the onlookers at the horse hooves thunder closer, and then the thwang of the arrow releasing it, which may produce a shout from the audience. The viewing gallery is recommended for those who want to capture the dramatic scene on video.*First photo provided by Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation