Encyclopedia
Yabusame is a type of
Japanese archery, one that is performed while riding a
horse.
The archer shoots a special "turnip-headed"
arrow at a wooden target.
This style of archery has its origins at the beginning of the
Kamakura period.
Minamoto no Yoritomo became alarmed at the lack of archery skills his samurai had. He organized yabusame as a form of practice.
Nowadays, yabusame is performed at the
Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in
Kamakura. It is also performed in Samukawa and on the beach at Zushi, as well as other locations.
History of the Japanese bow and mounted archery
Japanese bows date back to prehistoric times — the
Jomon Period. The long, unique asymmetrical bow style with the grip below the center emerged under the
Yayoi culture Bows became the symbol of authority and power. The legendary first emperor of Japan,
Emperor Jimmu, is always depicted carrying a bow.
The use of the bow had been on foot until around the 4th century when elite soldiers took to fighting on horseback with bows and swords. In the 10th century,
samurai would have archery duels on horseback. They would ride at each other and try to fire at least three arrows. These duels did not necessarily have to end in death, as long as honor was satisfied.
One of the most famous and celebrated incidents of Japanese mounted archery occurred during the
Genpei War , an epic struggle for power between the Heike and Genji clans that was to have a major impact on Japanese culture, society, and politics.
At the
Battle of Yashima, the Heike, having been defeated in battle, fled to Yashima and took to their boats. They were fiercely pursued by the Genji on horseback, but the Genji were halted by the sea.
As the Heike waited for the winds to be right, they presented a fan hung from a mast as a target for any Genji archer to shoot at in a gesture of chivalrous rivarly between enemies.
One of the Genji samurai, Nasu Yoichi, accepted the challenge. He rode his horse into the sea and shot the fan cleanly through. Nasu won much fame and his feat is still celebrated to this day.
During the
Kamakura Period , mounted archery was used as a military training exercise to keep samurai prepared for war. Those archers who did poorly might find themselves commanded to commit
seppuku, or ritualistic suicide.
One cruel style of mounted archery was inuoumono — shooting at dogs. Buddhists priests were able to prevail upon the samurai to have the arrows padded so that the dogs were only annoyed and bruised rather than killed. This sport is no longer practiced.
Yabusame - ritual mounted archery
Yabusame was designed as a way to please and entertain the myriad of gods that watch over Japan, thus encouraging their blessings for the prosperity of the land, the people, and the harvest.
A yabusame archer gallops down a 255-meter-long track at high speed. The archer mainly controls his horse with his knees, as he needs both hands to draw and shoot his bow.
As he approaches a target, he brings his bow up and draws the arrow past his ear before letting the arrow fly with a deep shout of In-Yo-In-Yo . The arrow is blunt and round-shaped in order to make a louder sound when it strikes the board.
Experienced archers are allowed to used arrows with a V-shaped prong. If the board is struck, it will splinter with a confetti-like material and fall to the ground. To hit all three targets is considered an admirable accomplishment. Yabusame targets and their placement are designed to ritually replicate the optimum target for a lethal blow on an opponent wearing full traditional samurai armor which left the space just beneath the helmet visor bare.
Yabusame is characterized as a ritual rather than a sport because of its solemn style and religious aspects, and is often performed for special ceremonies or official events, such as entertaining foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Yabusame demonstrations have been given for the formal visits of US Presidents
Ronald Reagan and
George W. Bush. A yabusame demonstration was given in the
United Kingdom for
Prince Charles, who reportedly was fascinated and pleased with the performance.
To be selected as a yabusame archer is a great honor. In the past, they were chosen from only the best warriors. The archer who performs the best is awarded a white cloth, signifying divine favor.
Famous schools of archery and the impact of Zen
There are two famous schools of mounted archery that perform yabusame. One is the
Ogasawara school. The founder, Ogasawara Nagakiyo, was instructed by the shogun
Minamoto Yoritomo to start a school for archery. Yoritomo wanted his warriors to be highly skilled and disciplined. Archery was seen as a good way for instilling the necessary principles for a samurai warrior.
Zen became a major element in both foot and mounted archery as it also became popular among the samurai in every aspect of their life during the
Kamakura Period.
Yabusame as a martial art helped a samurai learn concentration, discipline, and refinement. Zen taught breathing techniques to stabilize the mind and body, giving clarity and focus. To be able to calmly draw one's bow, aim, and fire in the heat of battle, and then repeat, was the mark of a true
samurai who had mastered his training and his fear.
The other archery school was begun earlier by Minamoto Yoshiari in the 9th century at the command of Emperor Uda. This school became known as the Takeda school of archery. The Takeda style has been featured in classic samurai films such as Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and "
Kagemusha" . The famed actor of many samurai films,
Toshiro Mifune, was a noted student of the Takeda school.
The decline and revival of the bow
With the arrival of the
Portuguese and their guns in the mid-
16th century, the bow began to lose its importance on the battlefield. At the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 well-placed groups of Oda and Tokugawa musketeers firing in volleys practically annihilated the cavalry charges of the Takeda clan.
Mounted archery was revived in the
Edo Period by Ogasawara Heibei Tsuneharu under the command of the shogun
Tokugawa Yoshimune . Given that the nation was at peace, archery as well as other military martial arts became more of a method of personal development rather than military training.
Today, Yabusame is held at various times of the year generally near
Shinto shrines.
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