Kitakoyasu Yabusame Horseback Archery Rite at Sugawara Shrine

At Sugawara Shrine in Kitakoyasu, Kimitsu, Chiba, a yabusame (mounted archery) rite is held every January 7. Archers shoot at a target, and the number of arrows striking its black-and-white sections is used to divine the year's weather and harvest; the rite is designated a Kimitsu City intangible folk cultural property. It is said to have begun in the Genroku era (1688-1704), when the local lord provided ritual offerings and encouraged martial arts alongside prayers for a bountiful harvest. Each year a boy of about 10, called "wakato," is chosen to take part, shooting at the target of the year's lucky direction in order with the wakato, the head priest, the neighborhood association head, and parishioner representatives, preserving the rite through the Kitakoyasu Yabusame Preservation Society.