Shōtoku era (1711–1716) Donated by Saitō Shōji
The female archer’s countenance is elegant and dignified, and the doll’s form full of grace.
Inuoimono, or dog-shooting, was a Japanese sport that involved mounted archers shooting at dogs. The dogs were released into a circular enclosure approximately 15m across, and mounted archers would fire upon them whilst riding around the perimeter. At the behest of the Buddhist clergy, the arrows used were usually padded or blunted to prevent injury to the dogs.
While it was originally intended as a military training exercise, it became a popular sport during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (1185–1573). Dog-shooting fell out of popularity during the 16th century and was eventually banned outright during the reign of Tokugawa Iemochi (r. 1858–1866).