Kasagake or Kasakake (笠懸, lit. "hat shooting") is a type of Japanese

mounted archery A horse archer is a cavalryman armed with a bow and able to shoot while riding from horseback. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, it was a highly successful technique for hunting, f ...

. In contrast to

yabusame is a type of mounted archery in traditional Japanese archery. An archer on a running horse shoots three special "turnip-headed" arrows successively at three wooden targets. This style of archery has its origins at the beginning of the Kama ...

, the types of targets are various and the archer shoots without stopping the horse. While yabusame has been played as a part of formal ceremonies, kasagake has developed as a game or practice of martial arts, focusing on technical elements of horse archery.

History

The word "kasagake" first appears in "Sadaie Assonn Ki" (定家朝臣記) by Minamoto no Sadaie in 1057 and "Shin Sarugō Ki" (新猿楽記) by Fujiwara no Akihira (989-1066)Murai, 1939 while legendary sayings states kasagake has been started by

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

(1147-1199). At first, hats (ayaigasa) hung on azuchi were used as targets, later replaced by target specially made for kasagake, consists of wooden skeleton, cotton, wool or rice straws stuffing and leather surface, hung on wooden frames as in the picture above. In

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

, "the three martial arts of mounted archery" (騎射三物), which are

, kasagake, and

inuoumono was a Japanese sport that involved mounted archers shooting at dogs. The dogs were released into a circular enclosure approximately 15m across, and mounted archers would fire upon them whilst riding around the perimeter. Originally intended as a ...

, are widely practiced by

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

. These martial arts lost their importance when the

Kamakura Shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

fell. Kasagake was inherited just inside the Ogasawara and

Takeda is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files< ...

family as a part of bowing manners for long years. In

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

, under the command of

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimu ...

, Ogasawara Tsuneharu revivaled the three martial arts of mounted archery. Ogasawara school arts are played at Edo Bakufu's official yard

Takadanobaba Takadanobaba (Japanese: 高田馬場 ''Takada-no-baba'') is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Originally, the area's name was read ''Takatanobaba'' and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, you ...

with the aid of Bakufu and Takeda school arts are trained in Jishukan school at

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

by the Hosokawa family. Today, Ogasawara school and Takeda school kasagake can be watched on some festivals, such as the shinji kasagake at

Kamigamo Shrine is an important Shinto sanctuary on the banks of the Kamo River in north Kyoto, first founded in 678. Its formal name is the . It is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, Dousun Festival in

Miura, Kanagawa is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the city had an estimated population of 44,132, with 17,473 households, and a population density of . The total area is . History The area of modern Miura has been inhabi ...

and local festival in Kasakake, Gunnma, where

performed kasageke.

The Rules and Styles of Kasagake

Details may varies from school. Below are some sample rules.

Yard Settings

Kasagake uses a 109 meters long horse yard. Fences known as "rachi" (埒) are placed on each side of the horse running path: "saguri" (疏). The target is set at the 71m point from the starting point "babamoto" (馬場元), the left side of the path. The archer shoots the target while running the path.

Dressing

Like ''yabusame'', the archers wear ''hitatare'' (直垂, a kind of formal dress for samurai) and ''mukabaki'' (行縢). Cuffs are not tied and traditionally ''igote'' (射籠手, arm bands) are not put on. The archer does not wear the hat, for the hat was historically taken for the target.

The Variety of Kasagake Targets and Styles

; tōkasagake (遠笠懸, とおかさがけ lit. far hat shooting) : Tōkasagake is the most common style of kasagake. A 55cm diameter circle target is set 11.4-22.7m far from the running path fence. Unlike yabusame, only one target is shot. ; Kokasagake or Ogasakake (小笠懸, こかさがけ or おがさがけ lit. small hat shooting) : Usually performed on returning run of tōkasagake. Small (24cm-48cm)4寸 in Takeda schoo
甲州和式馬術探求会
5寸 in Ogasawara school (official

and 8寸 in Ogasawara schoo

/ref> square wooden board clipped on a bamboo bar is shot with smaller arrows. The target is set 2.3m from the fence, at the low place. Kokasagake declined aduring Genkyu era (1204), though there were some famous archers such as

Hojo Tokimune Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

, who is famous for kogasagake ("Agatsuma Kagami" April 25th, 1261 (Genkyu 1).) ; Kuji Kasagake (籤笠懸, literally “lottery hat shooting”) : Kasagake conducted as a competition of martial arts. The referee (検見役) and the recoder (日記役) are involved. 10 participants are separated into 5 pairs by the lottery, and compete for the number of hits with a partner. ; Shinji Kasagake (神事笠懸, literally “divine hat shooting”) : Kasagake conducted as shrine ceremonies. Deer, birds, or fish devoted to the shrine are shot. ; Hyakuban Kasagake (百番笠懸 literally “100-time hat shooting”) : Performed as a dedication for prayer. Each archer shoots 100 times. ; Tanabata Kasagake (七夕笠懸) or Shichido Kasagake (七度笠懸, literally “7-time hat shooting”) : Kasagake as a

tanabata , also known as the Star Festival ( 星祭り, ''Hoshimatsuri''), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair re ...

event. Archers shoot the target seven times or shoot seven targets. ; Hasamimono (挟物, literally “clipping objects”) : The archer shoots targets (typically ''ōgi'', hand-held fans) clipped onto bamboo bars. This is usually done for recreation. Hasamimono also appear in other styles of

kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' ( ja, 弓道) is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on '' kyūjutsu'' ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, a ...

Footnotes

{{reflist

References

* 国史大辞典編集委員会, 1979-1997 "国史大辞典" 吉川弘文館. * 神宮司庁, 1932 "古事類苑武技部" 古事類苑刊行会. * 鈴木敬三, 1995 "有識故実大辞典" 吉川弘文館. * 村井五郎 (MURAI Goro), 1939 "騎射 (犬追物笠懸流鏑馬)" in "弓道講座第12巻" edited by 長坂金雄, 雄山閣.