Costume and how a Yabusame Demonstration Proceeds

Yabusame demonstration participants are described as follows. Bugyo (Takedaryu headmaster), Ite(archers), Syoyaku(demonstration attendants), and each roll has different costume.

Bugyo(The headmaster)

He oversees the whole demonstration.

Ayahigasa	A hat with scary spirit face sculpture on top of it. This particular one for the Bugyo has Takeda family crest on it
Igote	A shoulder wraps. Made with red fabric and has golden embroidery
Yoroi-Hitatare	An outfit which used to be worn under armor. It is made of silk and woven with Takeda family crest
Mukabaki	They are like western chaps. Made from summer deer hides
Tachi	Japanese Samurai sword
Ebira	Japanese quiver, which carries twenty-four Soya(arrows with sharp head).
Yumi	Motoshigetou bow
Igutsu	Japanese horseback riding shoes

Ite(An archer)

A demonstration usually has eight to ten archers to perform.

Ayahigasa	A hat with scary spirit face sculpture on top of it
Igote	A shoulder wraps. Made with blue or red fabric and has golden embroidery
Yoroi-Hitatare	An outfit which used to be worn under armor. It is made of colorful silk
Mukabaki	They are like western chaps. Made from summer deer hides
Tachi	Japanese Samurai sword. Shirizaya (which protects the Tachi) is attached.
Yumi	Motoshigetou bow
Ya	Jindou(arrows with wooden ball heads). As Yabusame is a ceremony dedicated to god, arrows with sharp point(which cause blood) should not be used
Igutsu	Japanese horseback riding shoes

Syoyaku(demonstration attendants)

Matometsuke(takes care of the target), Heikata(signals when the target is hit), Yatori(retrieves the arrows and gives them back to the archers), Hatamochi(carries the flag during the procession), Ougikata(signals when the course is ready for each archer), Taikogata(carries and hits the drum during the procession)

Gosannen-Eboshi	Japanese Samurai hat
Hitatare	Similar to Yoroi hitatare, but it has different sleeves
Tachi	Japanese Samurai sword.
Hanataka-gutsu	Shoes which are made from leather and finished with Japan lacquer(urushi) like patent leather.

Syutsujin

As "Yose no taiko(gathering drum)" starts, Ite, Shoyaku gather and follows Bugyo as he moves into the front yard of the shrine.

Kaburaya houken, Ganmon soujyou no gi

Bugyo, Ite, Shoyaku march in line off to Haiden(the place where the public may worship). Bugyo and Ite go into the Haiden and Shoyaku are to be lined outside of the Haiden. Then, Bugyo gives a Kaburaya(this will be used in Tencyo chikyu no shiki) as an offering(to be purified), and recites the request for the peace, good harvest and people's health. Then Bugyo offers Tamagushi and receive the purified Kaburaya. Then everybody walks out from the Haiden.

Tencyou chikyu no shiki

Bugyo and Ite get on the horses. Ite and Shoyaku form a half-circle, and Bugyo moves his horse into the center of the circle. He rides in a manner called "Gogyou no jyouhou"( First, three circles to the left, then two to the right ). Then he stops the horse and gives a slight bow to the god. Then he knocks the Kaburaya and draws the bow to the full, aiming both at the Ten(sky) and the Chi(ground),but he does not release the arrow. At the same time, he is praying for the peace, good harvest and people's health.

Kougun

This is a procession to the course. Shoyaku follow the Hatamochi(the people who hold the flags), then Bugyo and Ite. During the procession, the Taikogata plays "Jyo no taiko"(marching drum).

Subase

Bugyo takes seat on top of "Kiroku syo"(a tower which holds Bugyo's seat and enable him to oversee the entire course). Each Shoyaku takes his position. Ite gather around the left end of the course(Baba kami). Then Bugyo checks everybody's position and the safety of the course. Ougikata(those who signal when the course is ready) will double check that the course is clear and safe, then hold up each fan to signal that the preparation is complete. Then Bugyo hits "Ha no taiko" drum, and Ite gallop into the course in the order which is decided ahead of time.

Housya

The course is 218 meters long. Three targets are spaced 65 meters apart from each other along the course. Most of the time, Ite are divided into two groups. Each Ite is expected to run the horse at full gallop and at the same time he shoots one, two, three targets in less than 15 seconds.

Kyosha

The last part of Yabusame includes a competition. After eight to ten archers shoot the shiki no mato and the ita mato, the best three to five archers will be chosen to participate in kyosha, or a competitive shoot. The round target is 17 centimeters in diameter (about 7 inches), and is called san-sun no ko mato(small target). Two clay bowls are glued together. Inside the bowls, the space is filled with small pieces of colorful paper. When the target is hit, the clay breaks into tiny pieces, and the multicolored pieces of paper that are inside the target give an explosive effect. After every Kyosya participant is done, Bugyo hits "tome no taiko" to end the demonstration, and the best archer will be decided. Then Ite and Shoyaku gather around Bugyo.

Gaijin no shiki

Yabusame is a ceremony which is believed to get rid of evil spirits. Gaijin no shiki has a meaning of identifying an exterminated evil spirit (Kubijikken). The Ite who hit the most holds one target and kneels down in front of Bugyo. Bugyo opens his fan and looks at the target through the slits of the fan(Kubijikken is supposed to be done without looking directly at the object). Then, Bugyo closes the fan and unlock the sword from the saya(sword case). On this, Taikogata hits the drum three times, and Bugyo raises his voice to give Toki no koe to declare the victory, saying "ei, ei, ei" and all the ite reply, saying "oh". This will be repeated three times.

Naorai no shiki

After the Gaijin no shiki, Bugyo, Ite, Syoyaku will be served Omiki(sacred Japanese liquor). After this, Bugyo, Ite get on the horses and follow Syoyaku in line, and start marching. This is the end of the ceremony.