A bold yabusame festival in Yamanosho, carrying on the legend of the giant monkey’s defeat
Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- First Sunday of April each year / Once a year
- Location
- Hie Shrine
- Area
- Ibaraki Prefecture・Tsuchiura City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 10 min–1 h 30 min · limited express)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/20
The Festival is held to pray for peace and bountiful harvests in Yamanosho, against the backdrop of a Muromachi-period legend about the defeat of a giant monkey.
About Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival
The Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival is held to pray for peace and bountiful harvests in the Yamanosho area.
Yabusame rites have been offered based on a Muromachi-period legend in which the local lord and a master archer defeated a giant monkey that had troubled the villagers.
It is now held on the first Sunday of April each year and is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Ibaraki Prefecture.
Source: 日枝神社流鏑馬祭（県指定） | 土浦市公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
A highlight is watching archers dressed as armored warriors shoot whistling arrows at three targets from horseback along a 150-meter riding ground.
This yabusame is steeped in the story of the giant monkey’s defeat, and the Tsuchiura City Tourism Association describes it as a traditional event with a long history.
Prayers for peace and bountiful harvests in Yamanosho are expressed through the bold spectacle of mounted archery.
Source: イベント | 土浦市観光協会
A bold yabusame festival in Yamanosho, carrying on the legend of the giant monkey’s defeat
What to expect
During the festival, a yabusame rite is offered on the riding ground in front of the .
Three targets are set up along the riding ground, and archers dressed as armored warriors shoot whistling arrows from horseback.
The rite gives ceremonial form to the legend of defeating a giant monkey and rescuing the villagers from hardship, and prayers are offered for peace and bountiful harvests in Yamanosho.
Source: 日枝神社流鏑馬祭 – 茨城県教育委員会
Location and access
- Venue and address
Hie Shrine (Ono, Sawabe, Higashijoji, Iriaichi, Tsuchiura City)
Address Ono, Sawabe, Higashijoji, Iriaichi, Tsuchiura City
Dates and season
- Season
First Sunday of April each year
- Frequency
Once a year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Ibaraki Prefecture / Tsuchiura City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
土浦市立博物館
茨城県土浦市にある博物館
Origins and History of Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival
Hie Shrine, known as Sanno Daigongen, was considered the grand shrine for the nine villages of Yamanosho. Yabusame rites were offered there on the Day of the Monkey in the fourth month of the old lunar calendar.
It is said that a giant monkey from the began appearing in the village and destroying crops, so the local lord, Omino Echizen no Kami, enlisted the help of Ichikawa Shogen, a master archer, to defeat it.
This festival, which ritualized the legend, was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Ibaraki Prefecture in Heisei 6 January 26.
Official information
Information about its cultural property designation can be found on the official Tsuchiura City website and the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education website.
For the festival-day schedule, the Tsuchiura City Tourism Association’s Niihari Information Center (Komachi no Yakata) is listed as the contact point for inquiries.
The inquiry phone number is 029-862-1002.
Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival at a Glance
The Hie Shrine Yabusame Festival is a yabusame festival held to pray for peace and bountiful harvests in Tsuchiura’s Yamanosho area.
Against the backdrop of a Muromachi-period legend about the defeat of a giant monkey, a rite is offered on the riding ground in front of the haiden, with archers shooting whistling arrows from horseback at three targets.
It is listed as an event held on the first Sunday of April each year and is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Ibaraki Prefecture.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/20
Submit information or a correction Submit photos of this festival
