Bajutsu

{{Short description|Japanese form of military equestrianism}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} 200px|thumb|A Japanese warrior fighting from horseback {{Nihongo||馬術|'''Bajutsu'''}} is a Japanese form of military equestrianism.

==History== Although its origins are closely related to those of mounted archery (''yabusame''), bajutsu is considered a distinct and separate martial art, and there are a number of traditional schools, such as the Ogasawara, Otsubo, and Hachijo.<ref>Mass, Jeffrey P.; ''The Origins of Japan's Medieval World: Courtiers, Clerics, Warriors, and Peasants in the Fourteenth Century'' Stanford University Press, 2002. footnote p433</ref> The art originated in the 7th century AD during the reign of Emperor Tenji<ref>''Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan, Volume 3'' Kodansha, 1983 p229</ref> but was popularised in the 12th century as large-scale mounted warfare became more common.<ref>Deal, william E.; ''Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan'' Oxford University Press, 2007, p155</ref> However, the comparative scarcity of horses in Japan meant that bajutsu was always an elite art, restricted to high-ranking samurai.<ref name="Lowry">Lowry, d; ''The Karate Way: Discovering the Spirit of Practice'' Shambhala Publications, 2009 p55</ref> In spite of this, many contemporary historians ignored the numbers of foot-soldiers in battles and referred to the size of armies by the number of horsemen alone.<ref name="Friday">Friday, Karl; ''Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan'' Psychology Press, 2004 p96-101</ref>

The comparative peace of the Tokugawa era from 1600 onwards led to a decline in the military practice of bajutsu, and it became relegated to a more ceremonial role,<ref>Ratti, O and Westbrook, A; ''Secrets of the samurai: a survey of the martial arts of feudal Japan'' Tuttle Publishing, 1991 p292</ref> indeed, the practice of horsemanship was actively discouraged during the reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.<ref>Murdoch, J; ''A history of Japan: volume 3'', Routledge, 2004, p192</ref> By the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 20 schools of bajutsu<ref>Frédéric, Louis; ''Japan encyclopedia'' Harvard University Press, 2005 p354</ref> and the Japan Bajutsu Federation was formed in Tokyo in 1946 to promote it as a modern sport.<ref>Japan Tsūrisuto Byūrō, ''Japan: the new official guide'' Japan Travel Bureau, 1957 p221</ref>

==Techniques== As well as requiring proficiency in riding and mounted sword-fighting, the art also included teachings on the care and upkeep of horses.<ref>Durbin, W: ''The Fighting Arts of the Samurai: a Warrior's Combat Handbook'' in ''Black Belt Magazine'' March 1990 Vol. 28, No. 3 ISSN 0277-3066</ref> Horses were trained to ignore sudden shocks, and to press forward in the charge, veering off at the last second to allow the rider to kick with his battering-ram-like stirrups.<ref name=Lowry/> These stirrups (''shitanaga abumi'') were designed to enable the rider to stand and shoot easily from the saddle.<ref name=Friday/> Cavalry charges were made possible by the development of spear techniques from horseback in the late 14th century, supplanting the mounted archery styles that had previously dominated.<ref>Turnbull, Stephen; ''War in Japan 1467-1615''Osprey Publishing, 2002 p16</ref> Such charges were used to great effect by the Takeda clan, who introduced the tactic during the mid-to-late sixteenth century,<ref name="Grant2011">{{cite book|author=R. G. Grant|title=Commanders|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxY4Tz_R4NUC&pg=PA120|accessdate=15 June 2012|date=1 March 2011|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|isbn=978-1-4053-3696-3|pages=120}}</ref> but after the Battle of Nagashino, were used only in conjunction with infantry manoeuvres.<ref name="Turnbull2002">{{cite book|author=Stephen Turnbull|title=War in Japan 1467-1615|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tYnqTBN19TYC&pg=PA18|accessdate=15 June 2012|date=19 August 2002|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84176-480-1|pages=18–20}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==See also== * Yabusame * Horse racing in Japan

Category:Japanese martial arts Category:Equestrian sports