Samurai archery, an ancient sport, still thrives in Japan

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ilcub76 at 03:58 PM JST - 7th January

Samurai archery, an ancient sport, still thrives in Japan

....however....

Very few people actually participate in yabusame

The least you could do is match the title of the story to the content. You can't have it both ways.
Triumvere at 05:09 PM JST - 7th January

I would love to see this.

Horseback archery is an artifact of the steppes, but what makes Yabusame somewhat unique is the Japanese asymmetric bow. The Huns used an asymetric bow, I believe, but most cultures employed compact, symmetrical bows.
Ah_so at 05:48 PM JST - 7th January

It is an amazing experience. The speed and the power of the horse and the strength of the arrow as it smashes through the target take your breath away.

For just a brief second, you get a sense of the effectiveness of a trained samurai on horse back and the damage they could inflict.
OssanAmerica at 01:17 AM JST - 8th January

Definitely very cool, even though as others have pointed out mounted archery isn't unique to Japan. But certainly the traditional attire and protocol probably is. The Japanese are the only people of northeast asia who use what is closest to a longbow, the Mongolians, Chinese and Koreans all use the short reverse curve bow. Northern Italy was mentioned and I'd suspect they'd be using European longbows, or crossbows, in which I guess that shouldn't really count. After all, both cowboys and indians could do the same on a horse with a Winchester 94 or Henry.
bakabaka at 02:02 AM JST - 8th January

They have a good yabusame tournament in Tsuwano... here is a slideshow and short video http://www.ipernity.com/doc/ojisanjake/album/31676
ca1ic0cat at 03:35 AM JST - 8th January

Yooks like fun. Betcha I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn though. It's a rather athletic endeavour, hats off to the people who do it.
sharky1 at 07:16 PM JST - 8th January

What kind of horses do they use?
sharky1 at 09:09 PM JST - 8th January

I can hear Frank Sinatra singing about this:

When a quiver hits your liver and your body starts to shiver...

That's samurai

When an eel bites your hand and it's not what you had planned

That's a moray...and beat goes on....
Dogdog at 01:53 AM JST - 9th January

and I'd suspect they'd be using European longbows, or crossbows, in which I guess that shouldn't really count.

Take it from an ex-archer and not the fact that you post to form, the Japanese guy in the picture is using a long bow, jusr like mounted Italian archers do all over Italy every year in their local municipalities
Triumvere at 06:53 PM JST - 9th January

Dogdog,

The guy in the picture is using a Japanese asymmetric bow. While its about the same size an English longbow, it has a very different shape and construction, as well as an entirely different draw technique. Notice how the top part is larger than the bottom. That gives the Japanese archer two advantages: One, it gives him a huge draw which allows him to use long, heavy and very distructive arrows. Two, it makes it easier to use the bow from horseback, as the bulk of the weapon is kept away from the horse.

Now, I've never been to Italy, but I'd be suprised if Italian mounted archers used assymetric bows. Correct me if I'm wrong.
OssanAmerica at 11:02 PM JST - 9th January

Take it from an ex-archer and not the fact that you post to form,

dogdog

Could you explain what you mean by "post to form"?
Dogdog at 12:26 AM JST - 10th January

Dogdog, The guy in the picture is using a Japanese asymmetric bow...Now, I've never been to Italy, but I'd be suprised if Italian mounted archers used assymetric bows. Correct me if I'm wrong.

‘It has been suggested that most Roman composite bows may have been asymmetric, with lower limbs shorter than the upper…..By the 5th century, there were numerous Roman cavalry regiments trained to use the bow as a supplement to their swords and lances, but the sagittarii appeared to have used the bow as their primary rather than supplemental weapon –Wikipedia.

Sorry about the source, but I really don’t have the time or patience to substantiate that the moon is not made of chedder cheese.

I said long bow and wasn't being regionally specific
bobcatfish at 03:31 PM JST - 11th January

hardly thriving and hardly unique - the fact that not hitting the target is not terribly important may be uniquely japanese
neverknow2 at 06:52 PM JST - 12th January

What kind of horses do they use?

Magic ones that travel upward of 64 kph!! Just like an American Quarter Horse, the world's fastest.
Kijimuna at 11:41 AM JST - 13th January

"Yoshimi said that tradition is reflected in the longbows, which are better suited for long-range attacks on a general area rather than picking off single adversaries. “The bows haven’t really been adapted for this kind of shooting, because there is a big part of the sport that is spiritual, rather than practical,” he said. “That’s a lot of its appeal.”"

This sounds like 'yes we suck, but in our hearts we're the best' to me.