Japanese Archery Exorcism Ritual

Joma Shinji is a Japanese archery ritual performed on Jan 5th of each New Year to drive away evil spirits known as "Oni".

The ritual is largely ceremonial, but the fun part is when they get to do the archery. Six archers select 2 arrows each and a large target is set up with the Kanji character of "oni" (demon) written upside on the backside of the target. Hitting the target is believed to drive evil away and bring good luck in the coming year.

The video below displays the ritual being performed.