Shimogamo Archery Competition

The archers are the main attraction, but dozens of others participant in roles such as judges, starter, horse handlers, etc. Their procession opens and closes the match.

The targets, carried by the target bearers, are half-meter square boards of thin wood. When the arrows -- with their scissor shaped metal tips backed by polished wooden bulbs -- hit the target it shatters into pieces with a crack that echoes through the forest.

The course, which has a slight curve at the end, is a few hundred meters through the woods of the Shimagamo Shrine. The three targets are placed at about the 60, 160 and 260 meter positions.

The horses, riders and archery equipment looked completely authentic.

The contest was run in heats of four riders. Each runs the course at a gallop without apparently hanging on. They must knock an arrow and fire at the next target in the period of a few seconds. The hits and misses were pretty evenly split. After the rider passes, the target bearer, arrow retriever and target placer (taller than the other two) run out and set up for the next rider.

And the winner is . . . still pretty intense after the match was over.