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24-640: The main festival of the shrine is held annually on May 5, and features yabusame performances. In 2013, the shrine was added to the World Heritage List as part of the Fujisan Cultural Site. It is similar to Chōkaisan Ōmonoimi Shrine at Mount Chōkai . The foundation of the Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha predates the historical period. Per shrine tradition, it was established in the reign of Emperor Suinin , with

48-434: A Imperial shrine, 2nd rank ( 官幣中社 , Kanpei-chusha ) . It was promoted to a Imperial shrine, 1st rank ( 官幣大社 , Kanpei-taisha ) in 1896, meaning that it stood in the first rank of government-supported shrines. Today, some 400,000 pilgrims climb Mount Fuji every year, and many of them stop at the shrine in order to wish for a safe climb. The shrine celebrated the 1200th anniversary of its foundation in 2006. In 2013, it

72-433: A target, he brings his bow up and draws the arrow past his ear before letting the arrow fly with a deep shout of In-Yo-In-Yo (darkness and light). The arrow is blunt and round-shaped in order to make a louder sound when it strikes the board. Experienced archers are allowed to use arrows with a V-shaped prong. If the board is struck, it will splinter with a confetti-like material and fall to the ground. To hit all three targets

96-554: Is considered an admirable accomplishment. Yabusame targets and their placement are designed to ritually replicate the optimum target for a lethal blow on an opponent wearing full traditional samurai armor (O-Yoroi) which left the space just beneath the helmet visor bare. Yabusame is characterized as a ritual rather than a sport because of its solemn style and religious aspects, and is often performed for special ceremonies or official events, such as entertaining foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Yabusame demonstrations have been given for

120-424: Is no longer practised. Yabusame was designed as a way to please and entertain the myriad of gods that watch over Japan, thus encouraging their blessings for the prosperity of the land, the people, and the harvest. A yabusame archer gallops down a 255-metre-long (280 yd) track at high speed. The archer mainly controls his horse with his knees, as he needs both hands to draw and shoot his bow. As he approaches

144-471: Is the Ogasawara school . The founder, Ogasawara Nagakiyo , was instructed by the shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) to start a school for archery. Yoritomo wanted his warriors to be highly skilled and disciplined. Archery was seen as a good way for instilling the necessary principles for a samurai warrior. Zen became a major element in both foot and mounted archery as it also became popular among

168-676: The Genpei War (1180–1185), an epic struggle for power between the Minamoto and Taira clans that was to have a major impact on Japanese culture, society, and politics. At the Battle of Yashima , the Heike ( Taira ), having been defeated in battle, fled to Yashima and took to their boats. They were fiercely pursued by the Genji ( Minamoto ) on horseback, but the Genji were halted by the sea. As

192-625: The Jōmon period . The long, unique asymmetrical bow style with the grip below the center emerged under the Yayoi culture (300 BC – 300 AD). Bows became the symbol of authority and power. The legendary first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu , is always depicted carrying a bow. Some Emishi tribes, notably the Hitakami tribe, practice horse archery and were noticed and feared by the Yamato court. The use of

216-594: The Shingū . The entire mountain was off-limits for religious reasons, except for Shugendō monks noted for their asceticism . Pilgrimages to Mount Fuji became common in the ninth century onwards, although women were forbidden from climbing. During the Kamakura period , the Shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo was a frequent visitor to the shrine during his hunting expeditions/war games at the base of Mount Fuji, beginning

240-416: The Heike waited for the winds to be right, they presented a fan hung from a mast as a target for any Genji archer to shoot at in a gesture of chivalrous rivalry between enemies. One of the Genji samurai, Nasu no Yoichi , accepted the challenge. He rode his horse into the sea and shot the fan cleanly through. This feat is still celebrated to this day. During the Kamakura period (1192–1334), mounted archery

264-671: The beginning of the Kamakura period . Minamoto no Yoritomo became alarmed at the lack of archery skills his samurai possessed. He organized yabusame as a form of practice. Nowadays, the best places to see yabusame performed are at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura and Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto (during Aoi Matsuri in early May). It is also performed in Samukawa and on the beach at Zushi , as well as other locations. Japanese bows date back to prehistoric times –

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288-434: The bow had been on foot until around the 4th century when elite soldiers took to fighting on horseback with bows and swords. In the 10th century, samurai would have archery duels on horseback. They would ride at each other and try to shoot at least three arrows. These duels did not necessarily have to end in death, as long as honor was satisfied. One of the most celebrated incidents of Japanese mounted archery occurred during

312-598: The end of the eruption between 781 and around 806. The Heian period Engishiki records list the shrine as a myōjin taisha ( 名神大社 ) and the ichinomiya of Suruga Province ; however, the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine in the city of Shizuoka is located much closer to the provincial capital . For this reason, the shrine in Fujinomiya is styled as the "Hongū" and the shrine in Shizuoka is styled as

336-565: The formal visits of US Presidents Ronald Reagan , George W. Bush , and Barack Obama . A yabusame demonstration was given in the United Kingdom for Prince Charles , who reportedly was fascinated and pleased with the performance. To be selected as a yabusame archer is a great honor. In the past, they were chosen from only the best warriors. The archer who performs the best is awarded a white cloth, signifying divine favor. There are two schools of mounted archery that perform yabusame. One

360-554: The mid-16th century, the bow began to lose its importance on the battlefield. At the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, well-placed groups of musketeers serving Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa fired in volleys and practically annihilated the cavalry charges of the Takeda clan. Mounted archery was revived in the Edo period (1600–1867) by Ogasawara Heibei Tsuneharu (1666–1747) under the command of the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684–1751). Given that

384-607: The nation was at peace, archery as well as other military martial arts became more of a method of personal development rather than military training. Yabusame is held at various times of the year, generally near Shinto shrines. On the 2nd Sunday of April every year, there is a Yabusame ceremony held at the Washibara Hachiman-gū shrine in Tsuwano, Shimane . At this ceremony, the Ogasawara school performs Yabusame at

408-451: The samurai in every aspect of their life during the Kamakura period . Yabusame as a martial art helped a samurai learn concentration, discipline, and refinement. Zen taught breathing techniques to stabilize the mind and body, giving clarity and focus. To be able to calmly draw one's bow, aim, and shoot in the heat of battle, and then repeat, was the mark of a true samurai who had mastered his training and his fear. The other archery school

432-495: The shrine first built on its current location during the reign of Emperor Keikō . This was a period of intense volcanic activity on Mount Fuji, and the shrine was built in order to appease the kami of the mountain. The shrine is mentioned in accounts of the legendary hero Yamato Takeru , who prayed to the kami of Mount Fuji to help him escape from danger while in Suruga. During the reign of Emperor Heizei , Sakanoue no Tamuramaro

456-532: The shrine in good repair. During the Edo period , the shrine was the center of a cult worshipping Mount Fuji, and drew pilgrims from all over Japan. The Hongū Sengen Taisha was the place at which pilgrims would purify themselves in water before beginning the ascent. From 1871, under the State Shinto 's Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines , the Fuji Hongū Sengen Taisha was officially designated

480-681: The tradition of yabusame during the shrine's festivals and association with the samurai class. Through the Muromachi period , the Ashikaga clan , Odawara Hōjō , the Imagawa clan , the Takeda clan and the Tokugawa clan were patrons of the shrine. Tokugawa Ieyasu made a large donation after his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara , and subsequent generations of the Tokugawa shogunate kept

504-464: Was begun earlier by Minamoto no Yoshiari in the 9th century at the command of Emperor Uda . This school became known as the Takeda school of archery. The Takeda style has been featured in classic samurai films such as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) and Kagemusha (1980). Toshiro Mifune , was a noted student of the Takeda school. With the arrival of the Portuguese and their guns in

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528-680: Was included in the World Heritage Site designation for Mount Fuji The shrine is located about ten-minutes on foot from Fujinomiya Station on the JR Central Minobu Line . [REDACTED] Media related to Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha at Wikimedia Commons Yabusame Yabusame ( 流鏑馬 ) is a type of mounted archery in traditional Japanese archery . An archer on a running horse shoots three special "turnip-headed" arrows successively at three wooden targets. This style of archery has its origins at

552-544: Was ordered to rebuild the shrine in its current location. Historical records, however, only exist as far as the early ninth century. The Shoku Nihongi records that Mount Fuji erupted in 781, and the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku indicates that the Asama Jinja had become a third-rank shine by 853. As the kami of the shrine is the goddess of fire, it is logical that a shrine was erected to pray for

576-402: Was used as a military training exercise to keep samurai prepared for war. Those archers who did poorly might find themselves commanded to commit seppuku , or ritual suicide. One style of mounted archery was inuoumono – shooting at dogs. Buddhist priests were able to prevail upon the samurai to have the arrows padded so that the dogs were only annoyed and bruised rather than killed. This sport

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