Yabusame 流鏑馬

The Ancient Samurai Martial Art of Horseback Archery

Yabusame is an 800 year old, traditional Japanese Shinto ritual involving archery on horseback, where an archer shoots at three targets from a galloping horse. It is performed to pray for universal peace, a rich and successful harvest, and the health of all people. The ritual, with roots dating back to the Kamakura period (1192–1334), requires highly disciplined archers to maintain an upright posture with minimal body movement while riding at top speed.

Japanese bows date back to prehistoric times – 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.

The use of 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. During the Kamakura period (1192–1334), mounted archery was used as a military training exercise to keep samurai prepared for war.

A yabusame archer gallops down a 255-metre-long (280 yd) track at high speed. The archer mainly controls his horse with his/her knees, as they needs both hands to draw and shoot their bow. As they approach a target, he/she brings their bow up, and drawing the arrow past the ear before letting the arrow fly, with a deep shout of Eee / Yaa / Hoo (darkness / light / release) the arrow is let go.

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. 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 in the Shrines.

There are 3 Schools of Yabusame: Ogasawara, Takeda & Nanbu. Ty is practicing the Nanbu style.

Ty’s Involvement

“My first exposure to this art form first came from my children. The kid had always shown an interest in horses and we tried to bring them for horse rides on occasion when we lived in Colorado as well as in Washington. Here in Japan, it just so happened that the local Shrine had started a kids class in Kyudo (Japanese Archery) and collaborated with a local horse ranch where the kids also could learn to ride and care for horses. As the kids were learning at these classes, I became fascinated. It took everything I had to not just jump into class with them. At some point I asked if they would allow an adult to join in the class, and thus started my own love affair with Yabusame. That was 2024 and I assumed it would be a many years long path with lots of training to learn the many intricacies of both art forms, which ultimately need to be blended into one seamless art. After all, I am a 61 year old road weary musician who normally sits around playing music on the floor. How much can an old dog like me learn…

However, this summer (2025), the mens ‘Nambu Yabusame Team’ asked me if I could join their team and perform in the rituals in the coming fall at both the Tono Hachimangu Shrine, and in Hachinohe Shrine up in Aomori. Both ceremonies were only a month away and I had yet to shoot an arrow from horseback, let alone a galloping horse. It seemed like I might be diving into a fire and way over my head, but since I seem to be attracted to a challenge, I said yes and made it my mission to pour all my focus into learning this art form. I trained at the Towada Horseback Riding Club under the legendary Yabusame sensei Ayuko Uemura who whipped me into shape. I have to admit, that the amount of information I needed to absorb numbed my brain and the journey took on a surreal quality. It was such a focus, that I began dreaming about the horses and archery. I learned about the history of the tradition as well as saddle prep in general as well as ancient wooden saddles (which we used in the ceremonies), horse care, safety protocol, how archery changes when it is done from horseback and much more.

To make a long story short, I was able to participate in both ceremonies which I’ll show in the slide show below. For one, I didn’t die falling off a galloping horse (that is a good thing), but was actually able to hit 4 of 9 targets. A great honor for me of course, but even more exciting is the feeling of just beginning a long journey with this incredible art form. I’ll be posting more information and stories in the months ahead along with a mini documentary I am assembling for 2026. So stay tuned and we’ll learn more about this ancient Samurai art.”

* The slide show below shows Ty and others both in training as well as participating in Yabusame ceremonies.