The horse is not a native inhabitant of Japan, but at the same time it was a true friend for every samurai. This animal was brought from the mainland. Given the temperament and peppy nature of the horse, she quickly fell in love with the locals. It is worth noting that the first memories of the use of horses in Japan date back to the Kofun era: this is the end of the 3rd-4th century AD. The horses that were brought from East Asia were quickly distributed throughout the country. Of course, such an animal played a big role. Horses were used as beasts of burden as a draft force, as well as as a means of transportation. However, only representatives of high society had the right to ride a horse. It was from the moment the horses appeared in Japan that the art of riding began to actively develop. The rider "yabusame" - this was one of the most valuable qualities of a warrior. Of course, not all samurai had horses: only the noble could afford such a luxury.
What was the difference between Japanese horses
According to research, the Japanese horse is a variety of the Mongolian breed, which had a lot of similarities with tarpans. If we evaluate the physiological characteristics of such horses, then it is not entirely correct to refer them to the “horses” group. Their height did not exceed 140 cm, which automatically equates to a pony. During excavations of horse burials in Japan, it was revealed that the growth of many horses does not exceed 130 cm, and the smallest figure is 109 cm. If we compare these figures with Arabian horses (their height is 152cm), or English horses (162cm), then the difference is obvious.
As for discipline, the samurai horse is an intelligent, disciplined animal. Samurai put in a lot of effort to achieve maximum results. The result of daily training is a perfectly trained horse, which felt its owner very subtly, participated in the battle on a par with him. The animal skillfully bounces in time, rears up, and, if necessary, bites. Samurai taught their horses a lot. For example, to overcome small rivers, swamps.
At the end of the 20th century, a Japanese TV channel conducted an interesting experiment, during which it was found that a samurai horse with a rider had a maximum speed of up to 9 km / h. Initially, the animal started at a light gallop, but this pace was short-lived. After a short time, the horse moved to a more relaxed pace. Thus, it can be concluded from this that horses were allowed only for short distances or in the most acute situations. In all other situations, the samurai horse on the battlefield moved at the pace of a trot or a light gallop. On the one hand, this did not allow to develop greater speed, but there is also a positive point. Due to this slowness, horse archers could shoot accurately.
In addition, such horses performed well on rough terrain. Given that Japan is 80% mountains, this was a very important advantage. If we take as an example, then long-legged horses cross the mountainous terrain with difficulty, but the minis do an excellent job with this task.
And another important advantage of such horses was a soft ride. Such a run was ideal for archers. Despite the fact that Japanese horses were good at overcoming swampy areas of the terrain, they still failed in swamps or rice fields.
local traditions
One of the local traditions in Japan is the castration of horses. This tradition did not in all cases have positive aspects. The thing is that fighting stallions were not neutered, they reacted very actively to mares, which led to problems on the battlefield.
The samurai horse was never heavily armored, and jousting tournaments were never held. In addition, these horses have never been shod. The situation changed only in the 18th century. It was the Dutch merchants who told about European technologies. However, instead of horseshoes, there were special straw sandals for horses.
The fastest horse in Japan
According to ancient stories, the fastest horse belonged to Fujiwara Kunihira. The samurai was large, but this in no way prevented him from moving on his sharp horse. Fujiwara's height was 180cm, and the horse's was 141cm. And even despite such a difference in growth, this tandem showed good results on the battlefield.
Women are equestrians in Japan
A separate category is women riders who had an advantage against the background of men. First of all, they were lighter and more cunning than men. From an early age, women from samurai families learned to ride. They, along with men, fought as part of cavalry units. The most famous female equestrian in Japan was Tomoe Gozen. The fact of confirmation of the participation of women in battles is confirmed by various historical sources. For example, in a document that dates back to 1351, it is indicated that in the west of Japan, an equestrian detachment consisting only of women participated. The horse armor of that time, which was made taking into account the female anatomy, has survived to our time. The participation of women in combat battles for Japan was commonplace.
Japanese rider equipment
The equipment that the samurai used for their horses was also different. First of all, this is a hard saddle, which created a strong platform for the archer and protected his lower torso. In general, the saddle of a samurai horse was complex. It took a long time to put it on the back of a horse. Everything happened in several stages. At the first stage, a saddle was placed on the back of the animal, which was made of game skin or quilted leather. Next, the wooden frame of the saddle was attached. The saddle itself consisted of two longitudinal wooden plates, which were located parallel along the ridge, and from two boards. The latter were attached to the front and rear of the plates. All parts of the saddle are very tight. Additionally, the wooden frame was pulled together with a girth: it was stretched through the belly of the horse.
A soft seat was placed on top of the hard seat. It was held firmly in place with stirrup straps. All belts were made of hemp, which was made from several layers of silk. Leather was practically not used in Japan. It was also customary to distinguish between two types of reins. The first type was used to hold the horse, and the second - to control the animal. For example, the bits used to control the horse were made of steel and attached to the cheek straps.
Thus, the saddle was quite heavy and created a significant load on the back of the animal. On the one hand, such a platform added accuracy to archery, and on the other hand, it slowed down the horse’s running speed even more.
And one more thing is the material for the manufacture of such structures. The base is lacquered wood. Its surface was treated with plant sap. This juice was dangerous in that it resembled poison ivy in its properties.
Samurai paid special attention to the appearance of the saddle. The saddle was covered with black lacquer, and its shiny surface was decorated with silver or gold patterns.
But the stirrups were simple. These were rings that were hung on long chains, and only towards the end of the 9th century did stirrups acquire a closed toe and an elongated sole. Some time later, the stirrups were again modified: the sides of the toe disappeared and thus, the stirrup turned out to be with an open platform. It was stirrups in this form that the Japanese used until the 19th century. Iron was used as a manufacturing material. As a rule, it was a combination of iron and wood. Many models of stirrups had special holes in the platform through which water poured out. As a rule, water was collected in stirrups during the crossing of the river. The stirrups had long soles. This design allowed the rider to easily get up at a gallop, and soften the fall.
Features of archery
During the shooting, the archers sat sideways or with their backs to the movement of the horse. Of course, such actions required remarkable skill from the archer. It was important not to fall off the horse in any situation. The most skillful riders in battle used weapons that were characteristic on foot. We are talking about a long weapon - naginata.
Yabusame in modern times
Currently, yabusame also exists, but already as an entertaining spectacle. According to the old tradition, such competitions are held from September 15 to 16 in the city of Kamakura.
See also
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
