, Japanese

stirrup A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ...

s, were used in Japan as early as the 5th century, and were a necessary component along with the Japanese saddle (kura) for the use of

horses in warfare The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot desig ...

. Abumi became the type of stirrup used by the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

class of feudal Japan.

History

Early abumi were flat-bottomed rings of metal-covered wood, similar to European stirrups. The earliest known examples were excavated from tombs. Cup-shaped stirrups (''tsubo abumi'') that enclosed the front half of the rider's foot eventually replaced the earlier design.Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan
(Google eBook),

Karl Friday Karl F. Friday (born 1957) is an American Japanologist. Friday earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese at the University of Kansas in 1979, followed by a master's degree in East Asian languages and culture from the same institution in 1983. He th ...

, Psychology Press, 2004 P.98 During the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

, the base of the stirrup which supported the rider's sole was elongated past the toe cup. This half-tongued style of stirrup (''hanshita abumi'') remained in use until the late

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

(794 to 1185) when a new stirrup was developed. The ''fukuro abumi'' or ''musashi abumi'' had a base that extended the full length of the rider's foot and the right and left sides of the toe cup were removed. The open sides were designed to prevent the rider from catching a foot in the stirrup and being dragged. The military version of this open-sided stirrup, called the ''shitanaga abumi'', was in use by the middle

. It was thinner, had a deeper toe pocket and an even longer and flatter foot shelf. It is not known why the Japanese developed this unique style of stirrup, but this stirrup stayed in use until European style-stirrups were introduced in the late 19th century. The ''abumi'' had a distinctive swan-like shape, curved up and backward at the front so as to bring the loop for the leather strap over the instep and achieve a correct balance. Most of the surviving specimens from this period are made entirely of iron, inlaid with designs of silver or other materials, and covered with

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be c ...

. In some cases, there is an iron rod from the loop to the footplate near the heel to prevent the foot from slipping out. The footplates are occasionally

perforated A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...

to let out water when crossing rivers, and these types are called ''suiba abumi''. There are also abumi with holes in the front forming sockets for a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...

.Blair, Claude and Tarassuk, Leonid, eds. (1982). ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons''. p.17.

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

. .''Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection''
Authors L. John Anderson, Sachiko Hori, Morihiro Ogawa, John Stevenson, Stephen Turnbull, Publisher Yale University Press, 2011, P.81

Gallery

File:Tsubo abumi.jpg, Ancient Japanese stirrups (tsubo abumi), Iron, Kofun period, possibly 5th or 6th century, Tokyo National Museum. File:Ancient Japanese tsubo abumi (stirrups).jpg, Ancient Japanese stirrups (tsubo abumi), Met museum. File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 142.jpg, Abumi in use with a Japanese saddle (kura). File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 136.jpg, File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 550.jpg, File:MAP Expo Selle Edo 02 01 2012.jpg,

References

External links

{{Horse equipment, state=collapsed Stirrups Samurai weapons and equipment