An ancient mounted-archery ritual that divines the rice harvest using 3 targets and 9 arrows
Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame
The 2026 edition of Kiyoyasu Hachiman has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/09/27Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year on the last Sunday of September / Every year
- Location
- Around Kiyoyasu Hachiman Shrine
- Area
- Chiba Prefecture・Kamogawa City(From Tokyo: approx. 40 min–1 h · train)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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame, passed down in Naka, Kamogawa City, is a local festival in which the arrows of archers riding down the track are used to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor. The ancient mounted archery and the distinctive faith that regards the arrows’ results as messages have been passed down.
About Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame
Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame is a held every year on the last Sunday of September as a festival of Hachiman Shrine in the Yoshio district of Kamogawa City.
Riders gallop along a track about 210 meters long and shoot arrows at 3 targets.
Its primary purpose is not to compete in martial skill, but to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor from the arrows’ hits and misses, and to pray for abundant crops.
It is also designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture.
Festival highlights
The highlight is watching the archers gallop down the track and shoot arrows at 3 targets set far away.
The track is about 210 meters long, and the mounted archery is repeated 3 times.
One distinctive feature is the long distance to the targets; hitting them is not the only thing that matters.
The arrows’ hits and misses are regarded as messages from heaven, and even missing the targets has important meaning.
An ancient mounted-archery ritual that divines the rice harvest using 3 targets and 9 arrows
What to expect
During the shinji, a negi serving as the archer rides a horse, gallops down the track, and shoots arrows at 3 targets.
Mounted archery is performed 3 times, and the hits and misses are used to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor.
The archer is required to observe a week of abstinence and purification to cleanse body and mind.
It is an event that preserves the community’s prayers, conducted in the time-honored manner of a festival.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Around Kiyoyasu Hachiman Shrine, Naka, Kamogawa City
- Train and bus
Take a local bus for 20 minutes from Awa-Kamogawa Station and get off at Kiyobo (Kippo)
- Parking
In 2026, at Nagasa Gakuen and the National Health Insurance Hospital.
Congestion is expected, so please allow plenty of time when arriving on the day.
Address Naka, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
September 27, 2026 (Sun), around 3 p.m.
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 Chiba Prefecture / Kamogawa City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
In 2026, parking will be available at Nagasa Gakuen and the National Health Insurance Hospital, and congestion is expected.
Please allow plenty of time for your visit on the day.
Nearby attractions
鴨川シーワールド
千葉県鴨川市にある総合海洋レジャーセンター
Origins and History of Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame
The precise origins are unclear, but shrine tradition traces the practice back to the mid-Kamakura period.
Since then, it has been passed down not primarily as a display of martial skill, but as a shinji that divines the harvest from the arrows’ results and prays for abundant crops.
It is currently designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture.
Official information
The Kamogawa City official website’s local history museum and cultural properties page introduces the origins, content, venue, and transportation information for Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame.
Information about the 2026 event is also posted on the same page.
Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame at a Glance
Kiyoyasu Hachiman Yabusame is a Hachiman Shrine festival held on the last Sunday of September every year in the Yoshio district of Kamogawa City.
Riders gallop along a track about 210 meters long and repeat mounted archery 3 times, shooting arrows at 3 targets.
A key feature is that the hits and misses of the arrows are used to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor, and to pray for abundant crops.
Shrine tradition traces its origins back to the mid-Kamakura period, and it is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
