murmurYabusame Shinji (Horseback Archery) at Shimogamo Shrine
Kyoto City · Tadasu no Mori forest riding ground, Shimogamo Shrine
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shimogamo Shrine (Kamomioya Jinja) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, May 3, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year on May 3
- Venue
- Tadasu no Mori forest riding ground, Shimogamo Shrine
- City
- Kyoto City, Kyoto
About
Held in the Tadasu no Mori forest at Shimogamo Shrine, this mounted archery ritual is one of the ceremonies leading up to the Aoi Matsuri on May 15, and is performed to purify the way for the festival's grand procession. Archers dressed in the hunting costumes of court nobles and samurai gallop down a riding ground of about 300 meters along the forest approach, loosing whistling arrows at three targets as they pass. It is a thrilling sight up close, and it announces the arrival of the Aoi Matsuri season. Targets that are hit are handed out as lucky charms. It usually takes place on the afternoon of May 3 and is open to the public.
Sources
- OfficialShimogamo Shrine (Kamomioya Jinja) www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.