Bull's Eye!

On Sunday, I attended the Kyudo Archery Competition at Sanjusangendo Temple. It was a very fun and colorful festival! This ceremony stems from the Toh-shiya (Piercing Arrow) contest which started in the 16th century.
Back in the day, the aim was to compete to be the archer who did the best over a 24 hour period, from a distance of roughly 120 meters! It was a grueling competition and a true test of stamina.

Now, instead of being a "true competition", each archer gets two arrows to shoot at targets which are 60 meters away. Roughly 2000 archers participated this year, most of whom were 20-year old women on the eve of celebrating Seijin no hi (Coming of Age Day.) Amazingly, this is a national holiday. Everyone got the day off on Monday!

Although some professional archers and young men also participated, the highlight was the hundreds of 20 year old girl archers. Each of them wore beautiful and colorful kimonos. They also had ornate hairstyles and hair clips/flowers. As a result, thousands of visitors flocked to Sanjusangendo to watch, photograph and enjoy this festival. Due to the distance from the targets and the difficulty of using the giant bows, a majority of archers missed the target entirely. Regardless, every archer received a certificate of participation.
At the same time, inside Sanjusangendo Temple, the Yanagi no Okaji (Rite of the Willow) was being celebrated. This is a Buddhist ritual using holy water that has been prayed over by the monks for seven consecutive days. A monk then sprinkles the water over visitors with a willow branch. Willow trees are believed to have painkilling properties. This ceremony is believed to draw out evil, cure and prevent illnesses.

It was very interesting to participate in this rite. I held my hands in prayer and bowed my head slightly as the monk sprinkled me with water. It reminded me very much of the rite in Catholic masses during the Easter season where the priest sprinkles the congregation with holy water using an aspergillum. A strange addition to this ceremony though, was the presence of the media. Press photographers were there to capture the event on camera. I know that several shots were being taken of me as I was blessed. It sort of intruded on the peaceful moment. But, of course, I still thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate!