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!

What would you do if you had the longest wooden building in the world?

Well, the Japanese have a few amazing answers to this question!

1) Name the building Sanjusangendo Temple (aka Rengeo-in Temple) and locate it in Kyoto.

2) Fill the building with 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. But, be regimented. Put the 1000 smaller statues in ten rows of fifty on either side of the awe-inspiring largest statue.
Each statue must have a slightly different face so that it will be said that you can find your own image or that of your neighbor if you look long enough.

3) Construct 28 guardian statues from wood to guard the 1001 Kannon statues. Be sure to give them crystal/stone eyes for a creepy effect.

4) Hold an archery contest there every January called Toh-shiya.

Side note: Originally begun in the Edo Period to allow samurai to show their prowess, the contest continues today as a coming of age ceremony. One of the prizes used to go to the archer with the largest number of arrows hitting the target during a 24-hour period. I think I read on a sign that the record was 8133 hits. That's over 5 hits per minute ALL DAY!! Although, they did have some old ceiling beams on display showing where thousands of arrows had missed their marks. :) Nowadays, the contest is ceremonial and each participant only shoots a few arrows.

The outside of Sanjusangendo.


Unfortunately, they did not allow photography inside this temple. I found a link with some decent pictures scanned in from postcards though. Sanjusangendo Temple Pics