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1. Central Gate, Shimogama Shrine (Japanese shrine that is featured in the Aoi Festival) 2 Students from Ogasawara School (school of equine archery) saddle a horse 3. Various of students of Ogasawara School 4. Student saddles a horse 5. Riding gloves 6. Student archers riding horses 7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese): Sagai Tatsuru Priest at Shimogama Shrine: "For Shimogama Shrine, the Aoi festival is the main event of the year. Horses are central to the event and as horses can't be ridden by people without training we entrust this section of the festival to the Ogasawara School." 8. Set up of Ogasawara Kiyamoto riding horse 9. Archers on horseback (ends on Ogasawara Kiyamoto) 10. SOUNDBITE (Japanese): Ogasawara Kiyamoto, Eldest son of the current head of the school: "In the past there were many different schools practicing Yabusame but now only the Ogasawara and Takeda schools remain. In most regions there are variations of Yabusame that have been passed down and continue to the present, but tradition has not been passed down in the same way as the schools of Ogasawara and Takeda." 11. Saddles 12. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ogasawara Kiyamoto, Eldest son of the current head of the school: "The most distinctive characteristic of the Ogasawara school is a method of riding known as tachisukashi. Between the rider and the saddle there is a space about the size of a clenched fist. The rider's knees are in an open position whereby they do not touch the horse. In the end the only part of the rider's body in contact with the horse are the heels in the stirrups. The other characteristic of the Ogasawara school is the style of archery." 13. Students in training 14. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ogasawara Kiyamoto, Eldest son of the current head of the school: "When you prepare to fire the bow, the first thing you do is lift it directly in front of you. Then with your head positioned between your two hands, you pull the bow back while looking at the target. When you see the equestrian archery practiced in Mongolia or in films for example, they line up the arrow with the target and pull back the bow. In contrast, the Ogasawara school always lifts both bow and arrow directly to the front and sites the target between the two fists as the bow is drawn back and the head is turned to the side." 15. Shimogama Shrine 16. Various of Head Priest at Shrine 17. SOUNDBITE (Japanese): Sagai Tatsuru, Priest at Shimogama Shrine: "Traditionally horses were at the centre of Japanese agriculture, used for example in the production of rice and vegetables. Therefore we let the horses run and show the gods horses at their best as an offering in the hope of obtaining a good rice harvest and prosperity. This is the point behind the Aoi festival and it is for this reason that the gods of Shimogama Shrine love horses." 18. Rider performing Yabusame archery (archery performed while riding a horse) 19. The crowd 20. Resetting a target. 21. Official gives the sign for the rider to start. 22. Rider performing Yabusame archery 23. Crowd 24. Various of Ogasawara Kiyamoto 25. Various of rider LEAD IN: Every year on May 3rd the Aoi festival begins at the Shimoga Shrine in Kyoto. A demonstration of Yabusame, the ancient practice of Japanese equestrian archery, signals the start of festivities. The shrine entrusts this section of the festival to the Ogasawara School, which is led by the Ogasawara family. They have practiced the art of Yabusame for more than eight hundred years. STORY LINE Like many festivals in Japan, the famous Aoi Matsuri (festival) held at Shimogama Shrine in Kyoto, is an offering to the shrine's deities (gods or supernatural beings) in hopes of being rewarded with a good harvest and prosperity. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f6f430fb50aa5c783b292f2617982ad2 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork