Samurai from the warring states (Sengoku) period did indeed hold competitions of various kinds, among many other practices that kept their skills honed for battle. One well-known type of martial competition was the performance of archery skills. I write about one famous example in my forthcoming book Reading Medieval Ruins, which is about the provincial city of Ichijôdani that served as the headquarters of the Asakura warlords and the capital of Echizen Province. In 1561, the Asakura hosted a huge inuômono (“dog-shooting event”), which "involved setting dogs loose in a fenced-in, circular run. Mounted archers would ride around the edge of the run and attempt to shoot the dogs running inside with blunted arrows." This was a massive event, truly a significant act of pageantry, that attracted thousands of onlookers and unfolded over several days. Such events that allowed warriors to compete, lords to show off their wealth and power, and a sense of community to form, were not uncommon even during the topsy-turvy warring states period.