Samurai Archery - Yabusame in Nikko (Japanese Horseback Archery)

[@hollowdusk]

The last guy was truely great. His horse freaked out and he could still collect himself and hit all three targets. Great mushin

[@blacksnapper7684]

Facts! That takes true dedication to horsemenship!

[@MrSimonw58]

and a s* load of focus ... he's clearly one of those people to work well under pressure

[@blacksnapper7684]

@@MrSimonw58 very true

[@松竹梅-j1u]

あらゆる「カッコよさ」を詰め合わせた究極の伝統文化 全力疾走する馬に正確にブチ抜く技量の高さ 全てが芸術的でそして官能的だ…

[@haslinazali74]

This is really awesome!!!!!! I Love Japan!!!! Greeting from Malaysia.

[@Ruckweiler73]

The steadiness of the archer is quite remarkable.

[@marcusamyotte5672]

That was beautiful.

[@gerdz101]

This is so cool. This is now part of my bucket list. To visit Japan and watch this event.

[@Jake-dh9qk]

Last archer was skilled. Horse went off beat and he seemed like he had to hasten his draw, but still managed to score all three

[@Rondadoreronda]

こんな迫力があるとは思わなかった！かっちょええ！

[@jnsurg947]

Japan where traditional culture and advanced technology coexist.

[@hayek218]

get paid 01 Cannot understand the meaning does not mean meaningless. It just means that you are uneducated.

[@rick88261]

August Hayek , or that you overthink

[@hayek218]

get paid 01 Just because you did not go to school does not mean that other people overthink.

[@mammontustado9680]

"I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new." I always thought that movie line perfectly sums up Japanese culture.

[@LeFrozenTundra]

That last one was amazing!

[@midorona]

I was here this year!!

[@fmjs5146]

Nice video! Just realized that my spouse and I are in the shots, we were on the steps in front of the torii gate :D Thanks for posting

[@mpopo9482]

流鏑馬ってかっこいいよね

[@elijahsaba2718]

m popo I

[@lulumoe8357]

Their culture never seizes to amaze me

[@lucifermorningstar181]

East Asian aesthetics in general are pretty cool.

[@Eandrews763]

Their hakama are gorgeous

[@Green-ld4bh]

昔の武士は命懸けでやってたのだと思うと胸に迫るものがあります。 競技者の皆様も素晴らしいです。 ありがとうございます。

[@RoninDave]

i uploaded it 3-4 years back. I'll put a caption in the video linking it when I have a chance

[@vexxusvexxen8434]

Wow... This looks like fun! Ive got to go see this now!

[@KOTA.daruma]

武士道。ありがとう

[@markstafford6159]

WOW !!! That last horse was fast !!!

[@coolmountains25]

+Mark Stafford It was quick as balls, that's a purebred arabian for you.

[@adventuresofalostboy1466]

Kshitij Raj none of the horses used in this particular ceremony were native breeds or crosses of, the last one was a thoroughbred ex race horse.

[@adventuresofalostboy1466]

@Kshitij Raj I personally know the owners, and ride these horses regularly, the white thoroughbred has sadly passed away a few years ago, also I have 3 Japanese horses and they are nothing like these guys ;) have a good one.

[@bullterror5]

Yes he was fast & he also got confused at the start thinking he was racing down the side next to the crowd lol he must enjoy it!

[@KKIcons]

​@@adventuresofalostboy1466are they lifted out of the saddle somewhat, with weight in the stirrups? They look like they are riding so smooth.

[@parfum9938]

あの速さで的に当てるのだから凄いとしか言いようがない。日本文化万歳！

[@marcielynn4886]

I am a descendent of the Ogasawara clan. Famous for archery from horseback.

[@にほんものごとチャンネル]

It's rare to see a video of yabusame at this shrine! I'm an japanesearcher, and this is a special place where my sister got married.

[@rooroo9216]

That’s a nice touch! Do you practice Yabusame or Kyudo? I’m in the UK and part of an archery club, a lot of people here use compound bows and recurves. I have a takedown recurve, but I tend to use my Korean horsebows a lot (shooting off both sides).

[@bonitobonita9263]

Wow the last white horse got spooked but he managed to control her again and shoot.

[@wonderfulakibajapan1143]

horseback archery championships was in Tokyo today. It is a competition that wears Kamakura Samurai's hunting costume and shoots from the runner's horse with the bow and arrow one after another,

[@lakshwadeep]

Great viewing angle! Most of the other yabusame videos don't allow us to see all three hits so clearly.

[@cjbrown7745]

That last picture always gets me

[@RoninDave]

that's why I made another video on Yabusame using music from friends of mine entitled "Gunslinger Man" because of the similarity of cowboys and yabusame samurai archers

[@shinobi5419]

HOLY CRAP!! that Samurai dave at the end made us all LOL O_O

[@tanukisan666]

If not for the cars, you'd think it was Warring States era. Or earlier. Fantastic!! (:

[@falc1234]

うつくしいです。　ありがとうございます。

[@edtomorrow]

Great photography!

[@jimgrosso6492]

I like the hats.

[@resska]

0:58 I was there.. :) thank's for upload

[@foxhound4976]

0:58

[@johnhanley9946]

That's cool.

[@newcomer9747]

Man that is some spirited horse

[@hermitpurple3]

They wore armor on the battlefield and faced off against the Yuan army during the Mongol invasion as a heavy cavalry archer, a rare feat in world history.

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

2:50 horse on wrong lane. a shamefur dispray

[@ryarod]

It would be-hoof you not to make such puns again.

[@perun3706]

Usually your target is not a recycled paper dummy. Its a man that usually shoots something back at you.

[@4khilys]

OUR HORSE IS RUNNING FROM THE BATTLEFIELD

[@spodefollower]

lol literally just came here after decimating an army with my horse archers in shogun 2

[@oor191]

I will be in Nikko on16-17 Oct this year. Can anyone tell me what time is this performance start? I'm look forward to seeing a great performance!

[@samilinno]

Omoshiroi... arigato!

[@janoskovacs3083]

Hungary horse archery . 2 min ---> " OTP Világkupa 2012. - Kassai Lajos lovasíjász "

[@ricknakatsu7396]

Drive By!!!

[@creepypastashinigami]

lol I aplod you good sir *claps slowly*

[@kctjohnson]

Drive by shooting on horseback with a bow and arrow... that would be something to see (*.*)

[@無-i2z]

It seems that in the old Yabusame, seppuku was performed if the target was missed.

[@zhangsc91]

Come here from Fire Emblem bow knights and nomads! I’ll maybe practice horseback archery, in Zelda games!

[@allenmerice2356]

1:16 Is that Easton x10?

[@gumotaira7381]

かっこいいいい(＊´ω｀＊)

[@TV-on2er]

これだけ注目されたら馬も幸せだろうな

[@tanakashinji6782]

Ashitaka :3

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

The last guy's horse is too excited to run but went the wrong lane.

[@daroth7127]

arrow on the right side of the bow, this is real archery

[@monsieurm2427]

Japón

[@neko-chan8041]

Is it very crowded on this day in Nikko? I was planning a daytrip to Nikko as a part of my roundtrip in Japan in 2015 and I can only make it on May the 17th. Now I am thinking about skipping Nikko and spending a second day in Tokyo instead. Or should I be happy that I have the chance to visit the festival?

[@RoninDave]

It's crowded but it's worth it to see mounted archery

[@greencase]

how come we don't have anything cool like this in usa?

[@wkndr4life]

Whatchu ma' talking 'bout boy? Allow me to remind you we got hot dog eating contests. Be proud of your cultural heritage boy.

[@gavic85]

we got ppl shooting guns

[@raphmaster23]

We do www.horsearchery.us

[@jimgrosso6492]

People are too busy having pointless arguments and being offended by everything

[@jadiellima8922]

3:37 OH MY GAH

[@DarkOnyx98]

oh wow that was a quick reply. XD LOL.. is that a new video you are about to upload or did you already upload it awhile back? Thanks for replying too. ^_^

[@fuzzybone]

heh yeah, makes sense... was trying to recall something I saw a few years back. Not sure if was an event overseen by the Shogun or some thing, I just know they said samurai would kill them selves for failure in an archery event that looked similar to this one. I guess its not important though, my other post was only meant as a joke. I just know its going to bug me that I can't fully remember what I saw in that documentary lol.

[@bellcrosswolfstein1942]

Wp with thr last samurai even though his horse looks to be afraid

[@iwishgood5271]

I hope to vist jaban ...how?

[@hanh2122011]

Easy, step 1: transfer $10.000 in to my account, I will tell you what to do next. Shhh... Don't tell your mother.

[@stefantwotimes]

If Lars Andersen was present he would scoop the shit out of the whole gang :-) Absolutley!!!

[@Starg8atlantisrox]

I really, really want to know where the horses came from! I read somewhere that they are descended from Korean and Chinese horses brought over, but I also read that some horses are completely native to the islands of Japan.

[@raphmaster23]

Nessa Patriot I read that most of these horses they use now are ex racehorses, since they are taller

[@997ET]

In case you're still wondering, there are horse breeds that originally were native to Japan, but most of them are fairly small and fairly weak (not able to carry a human for a longer amount of time). I myself don't know actually which of them could be used in warfare. But I assume that Japanese warriors used foreign horse breeds to ride on and farmers continued to use the native animals to help them on the field and carry goods.

[@fuzzybone]

I could be thinking of something different but I'm pretty sure back in the day, samurai would commit seppuku for failure in events like this.... talk about pressure.

[@santiagolascurain1614]

OH AT A DISTANCE FROM ONE FOOT .......... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Casandraelf]

successful hits bring good fortune, huh? no pressure there

[@lorrainewest615]

Was the last competitor riding an Arabian horse? My research mentions that the Samurai found Arabian ponies too fast and skittish for archery, they preferred the Japanese horses, which were slightly slower and more reliable. Any thoughts?

[@bonitobonita9263]

She looks Arabian. This is not real samurais you know, there’s rules for this as sports but no rules which breeds you would use. Lots of people choose non Japanese horse to play

[@garychynne1377]

honda

[@iwishgood5271]

ok

[@ssriharikrishna]

Jousting move over, pales in comparison to Yabusame

[@Casandraelf]

true. hence the crack

[@matttibus4979]

the 12

[@CaptainBill22]

You may be bad ass, but not a mounted archer firing a longbow bad ass.

[@hunterfindon1018]

Sig, longbows were never used on horseback. They are not meant to be used on horseback. They are the size of a man if not taller and the limbs of the bow would constantly be bouncing off the horse's shoulder, destroying accuracy.

[@CaptainBill22]

Hunter Findon That's where you're wrong. Both the English and the Japanese had large bows, the English call theirs the Longbow the Japanese called it a Yumi. In both cases Some archers were on horseback. If you actually watched the video you'll see that they are firing a longbow from horseback quite well. In Europe, some English Longbowmen were mounted and fired their bows from Horseback. This was not something anyone could do, it required a lot of training and practice. In fact Edward III made it a law that all men between 16 and 60 had to practice the longbow every Sunday.

[@APsupportsTerrorism]

Hunter Findon These are long bows. There's an excellent BBC documentary comparing the differences between the Japanese Yumi and English Longbow. The Yumi's release point is about 1/3rd up from the bottom instead of at the halfway point specifically so that it may be fired from horseback. It nonetheless retains equal or superior power to the English longbow thanks to being a recurve.

[@epic0wnag]

+APsupportsTerrorism not power, efficiency. There is a huge power discrepancy between a 130lb longbow and a 70 or 80lb yumi, which no one really uses anymore anyway. Recurves are more efficient because it has long limbs in a short space.

[@DarkOnyx98]

it's interesting how the hats that some of them are wearing, look similar to the cowboy hats of here in america.. just the shape of the rim anyway.. hmm.. maybe that's how cowboy hats got their style.. they copied japan from those times. XD

[@iyaska]

最後の白馬さん、射手さんが 頭抜けて速いですね‼︎! そして悪いけど… 英語のアナウンスが有るので 氣がソがれる。 やっぱり、こういう場には子音は要らない。。

[@Cannibal713]

The traditional Japanese bow looks so unwieldy and unsuited for use on horseback. I'm curious why they didn't adopt a recurve bow. They must have been exposed to them by the Chinese and Mongolians for centuries.

[@jakeinjland6369]

+Cannibal713 They were exposed to it yes, I just started doing Kyudo and in the book that I bought it talked in depth about why they did not switch over. Long story short, the appreciation of the beauty of the long Japanese bow won over the practical part. To achieve the same pulling force they have the long draw which goes way further than any other drawing technique there is. I did however read somewhere on the federation page that sometime during and before Sengoku warring era the Samurai used a little smaller bow for horse riding. I believe it was either a 168 or 161 cm instead of the 220 cm long bow. Hope this helps, I am pretty sure I am right on all points but can't give you a 100% guarantee.

[@Cannibal713]

Ok, thanks. Thats very Japanese to take the aesthetics into account.

[@jakeinjland6369]

You are welcome, it's refreshing to find constructive questions on the internet.

[@carbon1255]

A Yumi actually is a recurve bow. I think what you really mean is a reflex recurve bow. Although it is a little contentious to say, the actual definition of recurve is that the string touches the limb, which yumi tend only to do at the top, and not all of them do. The limbs, however, most definitely do curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung, unlike a straight bow. Why use large bows, when they could use what they know to create shorter bows with as much power? I think that comes down to a couple of factors, one being that they are cheaper, easier to make, and last longer at the time, as there is a lot less strain in the bow. The other is the amount of pinch, or how sharp the angle of the string is. the larger this is the more difficult and prone to error the shot will be, making it less accurate. They also did like to draw ridiculously far, back to the shoulder, which actually gives it about a 25-30% increase in power (and even more speed as the arrows did not need to be stronger etc) from the same draw weight. This draw distance necessitated certain methods of shooting from horseback anyway, so they decided to be less flexible in their style, but base their strategy on the strongest method. They did use bigger bows on foot, but they still used huge ones on horseback. Famously they all got gunned down though when oda bought the newest guns, the matchlock, and became the first army to use them en masse which basically put an end to the takeda school of horse archery faster than you can say "FIRE!" they were pretty effective from the 1100s so they had a good run. I think overall they valued the huge range and penetration at range that the yumi uniquely provided for the time period. In fact, the impressive thing in japanese archery is not the bow, but the special glove, that allowed a thumb grip to provide smooth release, high fire rate, which was a lot more advanced than a thumb ring, and allowed a nice smooth motion to get the most out of the energy of pulling it back. It is not quite as fast as 3 shots in 1.5 seconds, as the best horse archers could do, but at least it penetrates armour at least as well as a longbow.

[@bigry1826]

Evolution of drivebys

[@kikiza123]

theyre shooting arrows off galloping horses and get just scattered applause... Asians, man

[@batukahraman5233]

wooooahh thats 1 meter....

[@cdjmk1000]

how can you miss from half meter distance? you have to be blind and without hands

[@rivvie]

first, this is a ritual shot when they are encouraged to hit for the belief of good luck second, this is fucking HORSE ARCHERY that we're talking about. A horse can run at about 25mph and that's like a fucking motorcycle, not mentioning it's walloping up and down constantly. And they shot an arrow from a long bow, while still controlling the horse. They also have to draw the arrow fast enough so they don't miss the target due to the long drawing time before shooting. imagine shooting a Springfield while riding a motorcycle over a bunch of speed bump. I would like to see you do that and hit a target half meter away

[@celestinopoletti7560]

Ma si renderanno conto di essere ridicoli...tirano a dei bersagli collocati a circa tre metri di distanza.

[@server2009]

こんなクッソ取り回しの悪い弓で本当に戦ってたの？

[@伊達巻仙台-m7f]

戦ってたよ

[@TheMolikuji]

搞笑嗎？？？這靶的距離？？？！！！