F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-112

Yahiko Shrine Yumihajime Shinji

彌彦神社 弓始神事やひこじんじゃ ゆみはじめしんじ

Each year on the seventh of January, at the snow-bound first shrine of the former Echigo province, an archery rite is performed in honor of the enshrined deity Ame-no-Kayama-no-Mikoto, traditionally remembered as a warrior who accompanied Emperor Jimmu in his eastward campaign. Archers in heavy court robes — kariginu over sashinuki — take up positions on the snow-covered archery range before the main hall and proceed to loose one hundred arrows over the course of approximately ninety minutes, the count of hits used to divine the coming year's harvest and the community's exposure to misfortune. The rite belongs to the broader category of yaura, divinatory arrow ceremonies, and is a standing-archery counterpart to the mounted yabusame of the great Kantō shrines. The hush of the snow-blanketed precincts, the slow tempo of preparation, and the muted thud of arrows into the straw target give the festival a distinctly meditative character, marking it as one of the most aesthetically restrained New Year rituals of the Hokuriku region.