🏮 Hosha Sai

奉射祭

Azumino, Nagano (Hotaka Shrine) · Every year on 17 March

184 days to go
Rooms around Azumino, Nagano fill up while the festival is on.

At Hotaka Shrine in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture, the Obisha Festival is held every year on March 17. It is a traditional Shinto ritual announcing the arrival of spring in Azumino, and for local people it is an important event marking the start of a new season. At the center of the festival is the obisha ceremony, in which twelve arrows are shot at a target. There is an old tradition that the accuracy of the arrows divines the year's weather and the size of the harvest, and it is deeply tied to Azumino's agricultural culture. It is customary for spectators who attend to take home the shot arrows or the broken target and pray for the safety of their household. The bow-and-arrow ritual performed in a sacred atmosphere, and the form of faith that stays close to people's daily lives, are what characterize the Obisha Festival.