[JPEG]

Archery of Hie shrine in Niihari

Japanese version is available.


[riding course and shrine building] Traditional archery ceremony is anniversary held on the first Sunday of April at Hie shrine in Niihari village (Ibaraki pref. Japan).
PHOTO: The riding course and shrine building.

[Hitomigoku] The ceremony has a following story, "Long days ago, there was a evil great monkey which disturb people's daily life. At last it require a sacrifice (called "Hitomigoku") and people could not refuse. The lord of the country, Juraten Okano, ask Shogen Ichikawa, who was known for his great skill of archery, to get rid of the monkey. Shogen successed to kill the monkey.
PHOTO: Hitomigoku.

[Juraten] The lord Juraten starts to meet Shogen.

[Shogen] Archery by Shogen. The target is a symbol of the evil monkey. There are three targets and Shogen hits them seven times.

[Tamiya Bayashi] Tamiya Bayashi, traditional music for festival, is demonstrated before the archery.
Sounds (u-law, 170KB, 20 sec.)

  • Sangiri
  • Kadotsuke
  • Oosugi-Bayashi
  • Yaguruma
  • Kaeri-Bayashi
  • Kakkoro-Bayashi
  • Hoso-Bayashi 

    Schedule of the ceremony held in 6th Apr. 1997.
12:30 Drumming, Juraten comes into the shrine and a priest blesses him.
12:35 Drumming, Shogen comes into the shrine.
12:40 Drumming, Hitomigoku comes into the shrine.
13:00 Demonstration of "Tamiya Bayashi" traditional music.
13:30 1st drumming, Juraten prepares gears and a horse.
      2nd drumming.
      3rd drumming, Juraten starts, runs through the riding course.
14:00 4th drumming, a Mikoshi, portable shrine, starts, returns back after a mass.
14:30 5th drumming, Hitomigoku prepares his horse.
      6th drumming, Hitomigoku returns back.
14:40 7th drumming, Shogen prepares gears and a horse.
      8th drumming, Shogen rides on his horse.
      9th drumming, Archery.
16:00 10th drumming, ending of the ceremony.

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