Photo of the Day (JAPAN)

[AsahinaKimi]

Men clad in samurai armor ride horses during the horse racing event at the Soma-Nomaoi festival in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 24, 2010. (Mainichi)

MORE photos of the event:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/photospecials/graph/horses/5.html

[Vehl]

1. Yabasume?

Was this just horse racing or did they have a horse archery contest as well?
I'm unable to tell if the riders have the recurved bows or not.

Thanks for posting!

[AsahinaKimi]

7. See down thread...

I think thats what you were referring to.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Fun. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

3. I guess they won't be having that event this year

if most of Minami Soma is evacuated by then.

[deaniac21]

4. Japan is already forgotten.

[csziggy]

5. Thank you for those pictures

When I was studying Japanese embroidery I asked my American instructor about horses in modern Japan. She told me there were no horses there anymore, that there was no room for them. I never quite believed her since I had read about Japanese horse racing. It's nice to see there are still horses even on that crowded island.

[AsahinaKimi]

6. A friend sent me these photos not long ago...

Twice every year, one on third Sunday of April during the Kamakura Spring Festival, and the other on September 16 during the Shrine's annual festival, a show of Yabusame, or mounted archery, takes place right on this path. Man on a galloping horse clad with an ancient hunting suit shoots arrows at the fixed targets in quick succession. In the era of Yoritomo, cavalry battle was the most common method of warfare and the Minamoto clan was among the most skillful. How accurately they can hit the mark was an important yardstick to measure the martial skills and powers of samurai.

[Vehl]

8. Ah! this is the one I was talking about

Thanks for clarifying. Obviously the main op you posted was horse racing and different from horse archery.
Most documentaries about japan showcase the horse archers but hardly mention the horse racing traditions. I was not aware such a practice existed in today's day and age till reading this thread.


PS: Btw Im playing the Shimazu clan in the Shogun total war 2
http://www.twcenter.net/wiki/Shimazu_%28Shogun_II_Clan%29

:P

[csziggy]

9. Those are even neater.

I have an antique netsuke of a man on horseback - that was one reason I had asked about horses in Japan in modern times. If I ever get back to Japanese embroidery I would like to do one of a samurai on horseback. I could find lots of pictures of antique Chinese art of horses but few Japanese works. Now I know what festival to look for to find pictures of people and horses in antique "costumes".

Thank you.

[fascisthunter]

10. very cool!

[ceile]

11. Beautiful! n/t