Yabusame Shinji: Japanese horse archery at Shimonogo Jinga (shrine), Kyoto

To honour Shimonogo shrine, mounted archers race down a 400metre long path through the Tadaso-no-mori forest which surrounds the shrine. The purpose is to hit the three wooden targets placed at intervals along the course. The trees provide a perfect cover for the event which is surrounded by a lot of pageantry and traditional costume wearing - none of which I really understood - but it provided a fantastic atmosphere for the day. Here's one of the riders preparing to loose an arrow at the target that's just out of the picture at right.

Senior and apprentice target erectors busy wedging the wooden plate into a bamboo stake
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Junior target minders wait behind a perspex screen for the next rider to appear
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

The only female rider of the day comes into view at 65kph in the classic samurai archer's pose
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Fabulous detail of the rider's stirrup and clothing (Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Rear view of the second place contestant with the red sash over his shoulder
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Front view of contestant prior to starting the 400metre long ride
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Young 'helper' in traditional costume.
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

This man was the overall winner. He's either Western or Eurasian and hit every target, every time he rode the course.
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Although the horse gallops along a two metre-wide path fenced with a single rope, the riders still have to control their mounts using only their knees.
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

Although we waited three hours for the event to start, we were about four rows back so had to suffer a lot of heads in the way...
(Pic by Natalie Hitchens)

A group of kids along the pathway singing a jingle for a charity (I think)

Part of the ceremony was to bring this box out of the shrine and parade it about the course - no idea what was in it (the Royal cutlery set?) but it was clear that the man carrying it knew what he was doing..

Close up of the only female rider in the event

Another character from the parade

Musician from the opening parade

One of the contestants - this was the guy who 'won' the event

The secret box again

Cool head gear worn by one man in the pageant

Another participant in the pageant

One of the obvious first world problems facing photographers is the plethora of iPads, e-devices and smartphones used to record daily events. It's almost impossible to get an accurate snap of a horse travelling at 65kph with one of these - plus they really get in the way if your DSLR is set to tracking AF!

Poised for the shot

The winner looks over his shoulder, waiting for the rest of the riders to follow him to the end of the track. Below: More pictures of the event.