Samurai stirrups (abumi = Japanese stirrups) are a unique Japanese harness unmatched in any other country.
Stirrups are a type of harness that is lowered on either side of the saddle (kura) and on which the rider places his feet when riding.
The earliest stirrups were developed in China about 2,000
years ago in combination with a suspended saddle. They are triangular or nearly circular rings
, usually flat or wide at the bottom.
Modern riding stirrups still follow the same basic shape. The use of the stirrup was introduced from China across Asia to Japan and Europe, where it developed by the Nara period (710-794 AD). Further developments were the half-lower stirrup and the long-lower stirrup, in which the foot is placed on the side rather than behind.
Stirrups also called long-bottom or long-bottom.
These innovations occurred only in Japan. They provided armour to protect the feet and
were suitable for saddles and straps made of silk or laces rather than leather. They were also considered for safety reasons, to make it easier for the rider to jump or fall from the horse, rather than being dragged along in the stirrups.
They became known as “samurai stirrups” (Western-style stirrups were later adopted in Japan with the Meiji Restoration ).
These samurai stirrups can still be seen in use by bow archers. This is yabusame
(yabusame), a traditional Japanese horseback archery technique in which the rider shoots at targets with kaburaya (arrow mounted on a horse) while riding at full gallop.
You can still see these Samurai stirrups in use by horseback archers at Yabusame displays, at which galloping riders shoot at targets along the side of the path.
Yabusame rituals are held all over the country, including the heroic Yabusame ritual held on 16 September every year on the last day of the annual festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The sight of archers dressed as Kamakura warriors shooting at targets attracts many visitors to the shrine.
