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.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 The art originated in the 7th century AD during the reign of Emperor TenjiKodansha encyclopedia of Japan, Volume 3 Kodansha, 1983 p229 but was popularised in the 12th century as large-scale mounted warfare became more common.Deal, william E.; Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan Oxford University Press, 2007, p155 However, the comparative scarcity of horses in Japan meant that bajutsu was always an elite art, restricted to high-ranking samurai.Lowry, d; The Karate Way: Discovering the Spirit of Practice Shambhala Publications, 2009 p55 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.Friday, Karl; Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan Psychology Press, 2004 p96-101
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,Ratti, O and Westbrook, A; Secrets of the samurai: a survey of the martial arts of feudal Japan Tuttle Publishing, 1991 p292 indeed, the practice of horsemanship was actively discouraged during the reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.Murdoch, J; A history of Japan: volume 3, Routledge, 2004, p192 By the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 20 schools of bajutsuFrédéric, Louis; Japan encyclopedia Harvard University Press, 2005 p354 and the Japan Bajutsu Federation was formed in Tokyo in 1946 to promote it as a modern sport.Japan Tsūrisuto Byūrō, Japan: the new official guide Japan Travel Bureau, 1957 p221
Techniques As well as requiring proficiency in riding and mounted sword-fighting, the art also included teachings on the care and upkeep of horses.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 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. These stirrups (shitanaga abumi) were designed to enable the rider to stand and shoot easily from the saddle. 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.Turnbull, Stephen; War in Japan 1467-1615Osprey Publishing, 2002 p16 Such charges were used to great effect by the Takeda clan, who introduced the tactic during the mid-to-late sixteenth century, but after the Battle of Nagashino, were used only in conjunction with infantry manoeuvres.
References
See also Yabusame Horse racing in Japan