Archery Contest at Sanjusangen-do Temple
Near: Kyoto (Event is Free)
Event Date(s):
Jan. 16, 2025
(The Sunday closest to January 15th)
Dates are subject to change without notice. Check with the official organizers before making travel arrangements.
The Festival (in Japanese "Toshiya" 通し矢) attracts roughly 2,000 participant archers compete against each other in the 120-meter long Sanjusangen-do Temple, which is the world's longest wooden structure. The targets range from 50 to 100 centimeters in diameter at a distance of 60 meters away, so a high level of expertise is required. It is held on the second Sunday of January in conjunction with the temple's most important mass, the Yanagi-no-Okaji, or Rite of the Willow ritual and Japan's Coming of Age Day. Both advanced-level archers and 20-year-olds (those "Coming of Age") gather there from all over the country. Young women dressed in kimono, in celebration of entering adulthood, draw their bows creating a very impressive sight.
Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0941 Japan
