KYOTO -- A "yabusame," or horseback archery, ritual was held at a Shinto shrine in this ancient Japanese capital to pray for the safety of the famed Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto's three major festivals.

The thrilling May 3 event captivated a large crowd of spectators who gathered in the verdant Tadasu no Mori forest on the Shimogamo Shrine grounds in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward.

The ritual marks the beginning of the Aoi Matsuri and is dedicated to praying for peace. According to Shimogamo Shrine, while "yabusame" is known as a samurai event, it originally derived from an event for court nobles, which is why horseback archery is conducted in both court and samurai attire.

Approximately 1,500 seats were prepared on May 3, and the shrine reported that around 20,000 people gathered. Twenty archers on horseback dashed through a roughly 400-meter-long course, with three targets set at 100-meter intervals. Each clanging sound that accompanied a successful hit elicited loud cheers from the audience.

The Aoi Matsuri will culminate on May 15 with the "Roto-no-gi" procession through the city, featuring the festival's heroine called "Saio-Dai" and others in splendid period attire.

(Japanese original by Saki Hidaka, Kyoto Bureau; video by Hiroyuki Ota, Kyoto Bureau)