ORIGINS
OF BAJUTSU
Bajutsu
originated in Mongolia. Through centuries, Mongols have had
the reputation of formidable fighters and riders, although
they used to ride on half-wild horses and without saddle and
bridle, a simple leather lash being strapped around the horse’s
neck.
Horses only started to be widely used in Japan around the
5th and 6th centuries. Japanese being of Mongol blood, soldiers
who owned a horse (a nobility’s privilege since horses were
rare and costly at the time) would be versed in military riding.
Horses were a fashionable and valuable gift between Chinese
and Japanese nobles of the time. Grand Samurai clans always
had breeding stables, each with its own techniques and secrets.
The Nambu clan was famous in all of Japan.
Some schools did specialize in individual or army fighting
strategy and techniques. Bajutsu knowledge would include everything
that a cavalryman (Chinese, Japanese or Western) should know
about horses: breeding, riding, jumping, crossing rivers,
diving from incredible heights, and training of riders (norikata)
whose back had to stand long riding hours. Riders had to stay
in the saddle in every situation, and needed excellent seat
to fight with sword, yari, naginata, bow and arrow, and resist
infantrymen armed with special weapons such as long gaffs
with sharp hooks, long Ta Chi swords and naginatas made for
dismounting the rider or cutting off the horse’s legs.
The Japanese saddle was made of wood. For battle, the horse
was protected with a light armor made of leather and steel
and had a steel plate on the forehead. Samurais would ride
with two reins that would be attached to loops on their armor
during battle. They controlled the horse with their legs and
body weight, copying the Mogolian techniques of riding in
zigzag towards the enemy while shooting arrows.
Galloping on a horse and shooting with the bow was called
Kisha.
The break shoe stirrups, were made for water to drain out
and attached to the saddle, because warring campaigns in Japan
would imply a lot of wet riding (sui bajutsu), for crossing
rivers, torrents or sea bays.
The physical training of riders included acrobatics and stunts
as well as close combat techniques involving sutemis where
a rider would sacrifice himself to drag the opponent down
to the ground.
There were as well methods for approaching the enemy in complete
silence: rolling up fabric around the bridle or placing the
horse’s nose in a bag. Training of horses had a major importance.
Horses had to jump, swim, or lay down. Training was taking
place around the Uchi’s (clan) dojo. A large Uchi could have
thousands of Samurais, a fortress, military camps, dojos,
shooting ranges, and even lakes or water ponds for water training
of horses and armored Samurais.
Japanese and Mongol riders were very skilled in acrobatics
and stunt that were facilitated by the small size of horses,
and by the saddle fitted with handles.
It should be noted that before the Nara period, sword were
straight, and the curved shape of the Katana was invented
to suit horse-riding battle. Later this shape was retained
for various reasons after the disappearance of horses on battlefields.
Training often also took the form of games or jousting. The
three favorite games were as follow.
YABUSAME
Shooting arrows at full gallop on three targets (representing
the three kingdoms of Korea) with whistling arrows called
Kaburaya. Today, there are only few remaining Yabusame schools,
particularly from the Takeda-Ryu (Hosokawa-Ryu and Ogsawa-Ryu,
both descendants of the Henmi family (Genji clan). Modern
Yabusame is called Kisha-hasami-mono, and is performed during
Shinto rites in autumn.
TOGASAGAKE
Long distance shooting from 80-100m (or short distance
called kasagake) on a hat, with arrows tipped with a ball.
INUOIMONOI
Shooting on a running dog. Before the Heyan period, it
was also performed on monkeys, deer, or dogs in a paddock,
either with real arrows or with arrows tipped with a ball
to spare the animal.
MODERN BAJUTSU
Bajutsu went through several declines due to civil wars in
Japan, and to the expanding use of firearms around 1600. However,
nobles still practiced, and when the Samurai cast was abolished
in 1876, there were still over 50 bajutsu schools in Japan,
the oldest one, Otsubo-Ryu dating from the 15th century.
Nowadays in the West, especially in Europe, Bajutsu is becoming
an increasingly popular martial art. Master Hiroo Mochizuki,
a descendant of Samurais and Soke of the Yoseikan Budo World
Federation is an experienced horse rider and a veterinarian
doctor. He has retied with tradition and modernized bajutsu
techniques so that they can be practiced by anyone in riding
clubs. Long bows have been replaced by short Mongolian bows,
the targets and weapons have been modernized, but the basic
techniques have remained the same. Riders are trained in all
the areas of horsemanship as well as fighting techniques,
both on horseback and on ground. The ranking is done at four
different levels (beginner/intermediate/advanced/superior)
with Kyus and Dans just like in Yoseikan, up to the 5th dan.
A ranking with national riding federations completes the technical
program.
Stany Ledieu has been appointed as Bajutsu Technical Director.
The “ecuries du Grand Royal” in Belgium have become a prominent
training center for Bajutsu. In this stable, (where the Belgian
National Mounted Police is trained) Stany Ledieu and his assistants
Patrice, Olivier and Valerie care for people and horses alike
towards the development of this great martial art.
Stany
LEDIEU
[trad. Godefroy from http://www.budoasia.com]
