Kyoto Event: Japanese girls in Archery Ceremony (Ōmato Taikai) 通し矢 大的全国大会 京都 三十三間堂 @discoverkyoto
Kyoto Event: Japanese girls in Archery Ceremony (Ōmato Taikai) 通し矢 大的全国大会 京都 三十三間堂  @discoverkyoto
Uploaded February 2015 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
通し矢 大的全国大会 京都 三十三間堂
To celebrate Seijin no Hi (Coming Of Age Day), beautiful Japanese girls gather at Sanjūsangen-dō Temple in Kyoto to demonstrate their archery skills at the Ōmato Taikai (Great Target) competition. Celebrated in the second week of January, Coming Of Age Day is a day where Japanese boys and girls who are turning 20 that year celebrate becoming an official adult.

In Japan archery was one of the disciplines practiced by the samurai during feudal times. Sanjūsangen-dō has a long history of archery competitions, once host to the Toshiya, a contest where archers would compete in various divisions, such as who could fire arrows at the most distant target or who could fire the most arrows within a set time period. Though the Toshiya is no longer held, the Ōmato Taikai is now celebrated alongside the temple's Rite of the Willow ritual.

The most popular part of the competition is the young ladies division. Dressed in their festive haregi kimono and hakama trousers with flowers in their styled hair, the girls shoot their arrows at targets 60 meters away. The girls looked beautiful and strong with looks of concentration on their faces and their long furisode sleeves pulled back from their bowstrings. No doubt the Ōmato Taikai is a memorable and exciting way to celebrate their special day.

For details and more on this event, check out our website:
discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/january/omato-archery-competition
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Kyoto Event: Japanese girls in Archery Ceremony (Ōmato Taikai) 通し矢 大的全国大会 京都 三十三間堂

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