Japanese festival "YABUSAME"

Tha style of archery has its origins at the beginning of the Kamakura period. Minamoto no Yoritomo became alarmed at the lack of archery skills his samurai had. He organized yabusame as a form of practice.

The use of the bow had been on foot until around the 4th century when elite soldiers took to fighting on houseback with bows and swords. In the 10th century, samurai would have archery duels on houseback. They would ride at each other and try to shoot at least three arows. These duels did not necessarily have to end in death, as long as honor was satisfied. One of the most famous and celebrated incidents of Japanese mounted archery occurred during the Genpei War, an epic struggle for power between the Heike and Genji clans that was to have a major inpact on Japanese culture, society, and politics.