On Saturday, January 25, 2014, the Neandertal Kyudo Club hosted its traditional New Year’s archery event in the gymnasium of the Gymnasium am Neandertal. Twenty archers from the club and neighboring clubs accepted the invitation to participate in this friendly competition. In East Asia, 2014 is the Year of the Horse and, in keeping with the character of this zodiac sign, promises to be lively and exciting, as club president Reinhard Kollotzek emphasized in his welcoming remarks.

First, the archers each shot two arrows in a set ceremonial sequence; this concluded the official portion, and the competitors then faced a series of sometimes tricky target games. As every year, the event concluded with the moving target: a galloping horse on a small cart. The race for points remained exciting until the very end; Reinhard Kollotzek secured the winner’s prize—a bow stand donated by a club member—by a narrow margin. Uta Scholten and Peter Speckhardt took home the prizes for two special categories.

During the breaks, there was an opportunity to refuel, and the traditional sip of sake—Japanese rice wine—was a must. The atmosphere was lively, and archers, spectators, and friends of the club were delighted with a successful start to the new kyudo year.

You can find photos of the event in the photo gallery.

Automatically translated by DeepL