The origin of the "Yakatamochi-no-shinji ritual" of Muroki-jinja Shrine goes back to the Nara Period, which shows that the spiritual power of the bow and arrow was already believed in.
室城神社の『矢形餅の神事』などは起源が奈良時代まで遡り、既に弓矢の霊妙な力が信じられていた様子が伺える。