Racecourse is a cherry blossom tunnel

As the name suggests, the cherry blossom yabusame is held in mid-April every year, when the best time to see Yoshino cherry trees in Towada is. The approximately 200-meter cherry blossom tunnel located in the center of Towada city is used as a racetrack, and many spectators visiting from all over the country and overseas fill one side of the road. The footsteps of a running horse, the sound of a bow and arrow hitting an enemy, the cheering of the audience. The sight of a knight in a glamorous costume running briskly through never ceases to fascinate the audience. Mr. Uemura has been active on the front line from its launch until now.

The trigger was a word from my father

Uemura became seriously involved in the horse world in 2000. It started when I started horseback riding after giving birth to my second child. Soon after, I received a suggestion from my father, Nakano Watarihiko, “Why don't you try yabusame with only women?” At the same time, in my hometown, Towada, there was a movement to search for new initiatives using horses as tourism resources because they used to be horse-growing areas.

“My father saw women wearing traditional costumes parading through the city in Arles, France, where he was traveling, and came up with a yabusame for women only. But I was fiercely opposed...”

Originally, yabusame is a Shinto ritual, and it is a traditional world where women are prohibited. The reason was that I was overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere at Morioka Hachimangu Shrine, where I first saw yabusame, and felt “it's so wonderful that it's not easy to enter this world.”

Due to the weight of the tradition of yabusame, words such as “women don't do it” and “they make a fool of yabusame” have also been thrown at me. That's why Uemura-san's challenge began, saying, “If we do, let's do content that won't be embarrassing.”

Everything you do has meaning

Having made up his mind, Mr. Uemura became an apprentice to the Southern Yabusame Master, which is handed down in the southern region, and learned the techniques and ways of thinking about yabusame one by one. For example, even if you use a bow, it has meaning, and it is said that it has “reasonable beauty based on tradition.”

“My role is to understand things that have been handed down since ancient times in my own way and then pass on the basics and ways of thinking about yabusame. That's why I'm nothing but points.”

How do you interpret traditions and pass them on? The Sakura Yabusame costume is a symbol of that. Of course, women's costumes didn't exist in the world of yabusame, which was limited to men in the first place. The costume, which was created after careful research on how to make traditional costumes, is a remake of furusoe and a combination of hakama to make it easier to ride on horses.

“At first, I wore a kyudo uniform and rode horses, but it was plain, and I wanted to wear a more flashy costume. I want to be unconventional while keeping the mold in mind.”

The brave and gorgeous scene of the cherry blossom yabusame was completed only because of Mr. Uemura's fascinating ingenuity.

Towada Horseback Riding Club for a day in February. Those planning to participate in the Sakura Yabusame race were working hard to make costumes. Many people reuse furunose that they have lost the opportunity to wear at home. Uemura says, “This is because learning the 'wasteful' mentality and touching a kimono comes into contact with Japanese traditions and leads to understanding.”

The roots nurtured by horse culture

Turn yabusame into a sport with cherry blossom yabusame. What is the magnitude of the hardships that Mr. Uemura has borne? Then, I got this answer.

“The people in the town had a pioneering spirit, so they were open to new things and got excited by doing interesting things. That's because it's Towada, isn't it?”

Towada is a town founded about 160 years ago through pioneering development. In the past, there was an army's military horse reserve department, and it has a history of developing as one of the largest horse production areas. The deep relationship with horses has also led to the establishment of Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine, the only university in the city.

Also, it is these students who are currently helping raise horses under Mr. Uemura. Furthermore, local high school students are also involved in the management of the tournament. The history of Towada can be seen from the system that supports Sakura Yabusame, and Towada's horse culture has been passed down from generation to generation while involving the younger generation through sakura yabusame.

To sports that can be enjoyed regardless of gender

In recent years, in addition to teaching horse riding clubs that incorporate the sport yabusame from all over the country, Uemura has also been active in disseminating information overseas, such as translating yabusame textbooks into English through crowdfunding and receiving close coverage from overseas media. We are also aiming to revive the “southern horse,” which is a former native breed and is evaluated as the most excellent in Japanese history for its appearance and size.

Yabusame is an important ceremony that has been observed by men as a Shinto rite. Meanwhile, due to the declining birthrate and aging population, there is a current situation where local Shinto rituals such as yabusame are suffering from a shortage of successors. “In order to overcome this problem and continue Japanese festivals, the existence of sports yabusame, which has continued for 20 years, is becoming important,” says Uemura. Daring to describe competition as “regardless of gender” has become a slogan with enthusiasts from all over the country who cooperate in popularizing the sport yabusame.

Sakura Yabusame was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was forced to be held online in '21, but this year in 2023, we will finally reach the 20th milestone. It is precisely because Mr. Uemura has taken on the challenge of innovation while valuing tradition that he sees the role that sakura yabusame will play in the next era.

“Thankfully, many people are making social messages by watching Sakura Yabusame players. In the next 10 years, I would like it to be a tool for indirectly conveying a gender-equal society by expressing expressions such as “gender limited to women” as being limited to “gender.” I think it would be nice if Towada became a city where everyone could live comfortably. I would be happy if Sakura Yabusame could help with that, even just a little bit.”

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Uemura Ayuko profile

Born in 1971 in Towada. A leading expert in competitive yabusame. Plan a cherry blossom yabusame and contribute to attracting overseas tourists and regional development. Received the Prime Minister's Award at the “20th Hometown Event Awards” in 2016. Representative director of Towada Horse Riding Club Co., Ltd.