Lajos Kassai (born 16 September 1960) is a Hungarian

bowyer A bowyer is a master-craftsman who makes bows. Though this was once a widespread profession, the importance of bowyers and of bows was diminished by the introduction of gunpowder weaponry. However, the trade has survived and many bowyers conti ...

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

. He is primarily known for his work reviving the traditional art of

mounted archery Mounted archery is a form of archery that involves shooting arrows while on horseback. A horse archer is a person who does mounted archery. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, mounted ...

, including adapting it into a modern sport. For his work he received the Officer's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

Bow-making

Lajos Kassai started making his bows in the mid-1980s and was competing successfully in field archery. Then based on the work of Karoly Cs. Sebestyen and Dr Gyula Fabian, using modern materials and technologies, he reconstructed and as first one in the world started series production of the traditional Hungarian bow used in the age of the

Hungarian Conquest The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, also known as the Hungarian conquest or the Hungarian land-taking (), was a series of historical events ending with the settlement of the Hungarians in Central Europe in the late 9th and early 10t ...

. Eventually bow-making became his primary profession, and he became the first in the world to mass-produce this style of bow. Besides Hungarian, Kassai makes other types of traditional bows, including;

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

Hun A Hun is a member of the Huns, a confederation of nomadic tribes in Western Asia and Europe in late antiquity. Hun or huns may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Hun, a British subcultural stereotype, see Hun subculture * Hun, a charac ...

(asymmetric type), Avar, and

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

Equestrian archery

Kassai created the competitive rule system of horse archery in the late 1980s, and started to propagate this new sport, first in Hungary, and from the 1990s in the rest of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He made himself familiar with

kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' () 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, and following ...

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and travelled to Shaolin in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to study. He summarized his experiences in his book ''Lovasíjászat'' ('Horse Archery'), which since its issue has been translated into German, English and Russian. He founded the center of Hungarian horse archery, Kassai-völgy, near

Kaposmérő Kaposmérő is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to th ...

. Horse archery centers based on the Kassai school are currently operating in fourteen countries, and organize world cups regularly. In 2011, the University of Physical Education accepted the education practice developed by Kassai and began horse archery training. Hungary is the first country in the world where one can get a teaching diploma in horse archery. His life and work was dramatized by Géza Kaszás in the film ''A lovasíjász'' ('The horse archer'), which premiered in January 2016.

Achievements

Lajos Kassai won all competitions he entered from 1994 to 2019, among them countless World Cup rounds and international equestrian archery competitions, and the Equestrian Archery Open World Championship in 2014.

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
of Lajos Kassai

He set five Guinness World Records: 2011: In December, he shot 14 discs under 19.85 seconds in front of an 8,000 member audience and set his fifth Guinness World Record at the Budapest Sport Arena. 2009: In December, he set his fourth record in the Budapest Sports Arena. He shot 12 pieces of 30 cm diameter flying discs (thrown by his students) from the back of a galloping horse in 17.80 seconds. 2006: Riding 12 horses, Kassai Lajos did equestrian archery continuously for 24 hours during 661 competition runs, he achieved a total score of 15,596.43 points with 5,412 shots. His average point per standard competition (9 runs) was 212.35 points. 2002: Riding 12 horses, during 12 hours of continuous equestrian archery, he managed to achieve a total score of 7,126.05 with nearly 3,000 shots in 323 competition runs, breaking his previous record. His average point per standard competition was 198.55 points. 1998: Riding 12 horses, shot more than 1,000 targeted shots in 286 competition runs during 12 hours of continuous equestrian archery. His average point per standard competition was 133 points.

Awards, merits

* Teleki Pál merit (2021) *World Ethnosport Confederation – Special award (2020) *University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest – Riding instructor honorary award (2018) *Granite Lion Award – Finalist in the public role model category (2017) *"For the Hungarian nation" – Silver medal (2017) *From the Hungarian Equestrian Association – Count István Széchenyi Equestrian Commemorative Medal (2017) *Pongrátz Gergely cross of merit (2017) *Middle Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary (2016) *Pro Comitatu Somogy award (2016) *"For the Hungarians of the World" public award (2014) *The Original Kassai System equestrian archery method was included in the (Hungarikum) Collection of Hungarian Values (2013) *Golden Arrowhead Award (2013) *Szent István University, Gödöllő – Riding instructor honorary award and Silver Laurel Wreath Award (2013) *Bárdudvarnok – Honorary citizen (2013) *Hungarian Heritage Award (2012) *The Original Kassai System equestrian archery method was included in Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hungary (2012) *Knight of the Hungarian Culture (2012) *Equestrian Archery was included into the university education first time in the world in Hungary, Budapest (2011) *Person of the year – Somogy County (2010) *The Kassai Equestrian Archery School won the (Kaposvár Városért díj) – Award for the city of Kaposvár (2009) *Árpád Shield Award (2008) *Our Heritage – Somogy County's treasure award (2008) *Kaposmérő – Honorary citizen *Officer's Cross of the

(2003)

Travels to foreign countries

2020.

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

: Antalya – 2. International Traditional Sport Award 2020.

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

: Doha – training camp 2020.

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

: Pretoria – training camp and track initiation 2019.

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

: Miercurea Ciuc – track initiation 2019.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

: Charron La Rochelle – track initiation 2019.

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

: Volgograd – training camp and track initiation 2019. China: Wuhan – training camp and track initiation 2018.

: Nova Scotia – training camp and track initiation 2018. USA: Hamilton, MT – training camp and track initiation 2018.

Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...

: Limpach – training camp and track initiation 2017.

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

: Arlington, WA – training camp and track initiation 2017. Canada: Ottawa – training camp 2017. USA: Solvang, California – training camp at Monty Roberts' farm (Flag is up) 2015.

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

: Penang, Turf Club, International Festival with Horses – training camp and presentation 2015. (November) Qatar: Doha – training camp 2015. (August) Qatar: Doha – training camp 2015.

: Peking – CCTV, Impossible Challenge China – presentation 2015. China: Peking, Tsingtao – training camp 2015.

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

: Köln, Baasem – track initiation 2015. France: Maulde – track initiation 2014. China: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Peking – training camp 2014: Qatar: Doha – training camp and presentation 2014. China: Chinghai, Tsingtao, Tongwancheng, Inner Mongolia – training camp 2013. China: Hsian, Hohhot, Xilinhot, Wuhan – presentation 2013. China: Peking – presentation 2013. France: Avignon, (Cheval Passion 2013) – presentation 2012. Turkey: Denizli – presentation 2012. China: Peking, Ordosz – presentation 2012. China: Peking, Csengtu, Sanghaj, Hangcsou, Sencsen – presentation 2012.

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

: Zürich (Mercedes SCI Cup) – presentation 2011. France: Paris (International Agricultural Exhibition) – presentation 2010. France: Saint Sébastien sur Loire – presentation 2009.

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

: Seville (Sicab) – presentation 2007.

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

: Mariensee – presentation 2006.

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

: Athens (European Archery Championship, 2006) – presentation 2006. Germany: Berlin – training camp and presentation 2002. USA: Fort Dodge, Iowa – presentation 2000. USA: Fort Dodge, Iowa – presentation 1999: China: Shaolin – study trip 1999. Ausztria: Bécs (Wiener Stadthalle) – presentation 1996. USA: Pennsylvania – training camp and presentation 1996.

– study trip 1992.

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

: Amsterdam – presentation 1992.

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

: Forli – presentation Presentations - Attended by royal families of the countries: * 2019.

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

: London (Royal Windsor Horse Show) * 2015. Malaysia: Pinang * 2014. Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur * 2012.

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

: Al Faris * 2009.

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

: El Jadida

Family

Kassai is married and has three daughters. His wife is Vanda Kassainé Olter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kassai, Lajos 1960 births Living people People from Kaposvár Hungarian male archers Bowyers Sportspeople from Somogy County World record holders in shooting 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen