One of the most interesting pieces of armor used by the feudal lords of old Japan to protect them from raining arrows of pursuing archers is the Horo. It is made of lightweight cloth presumably silk, worn by messengers of nobility and is strategically designed with large colorful emblems to make them stand out in the battlefield. With the patterns, it is very easy to spot a messenger when they arrive.
In English, Horo means arrow catcher or arrow entangler. A lot of scholars are suspicious of the Horo's capability of stopping a speeding arrow in its tracks and it's reputation as a life saver. Because the cloak is made of sheer cloth, it is hard to imagine it being able to halt a speeding dart. Furthermore, the large colorful print makes the wearer a very easy target on the field.
I was watching a show on the History Channel a few weeks back and the episode was about the Horo. Like the many people with doubts, the researchers were quite suspicious of the capes ability. Based on their research, they recreated a cape made of silk and printed on it a large colorful emblem. They tied it to a dummy, and stood it against a fan to simulate a warrior riding a horse.
The next scenes were very interesting. Contrary to what others thought that the designs would make the wearer a very easy target for enemy archers, what they saw was just the opposite. When the wind blew against the cape, it danced and moved around, making it a very hard target. It was a confusing vision and looking at it you really wouldn't know where behind the Horo the dummy really is.
The next step then would be finding out if the cape or what looks like a cloak could really stop an arrow. When they tried to shoot the dummy with sharp arrows, amazingly the darts where entangled in the dancing cloak and were actually stopped. The arrow looses speed as soon as it gets entangled on the Horo and falls off to the ground.
After gathering the results, the next question was if a cape wearer would actually entrust her life on a piece of silk. They wanted to test how it would feel like to be atop a horse wearing a Horo and be pursued by enemy archers. They simulated the scenario but they dulled the arrows to protect the horse. They used professional archers and you could see the arrows raining on the cape wearer. Amazingly, the wearer came out of it unscathed.
When the wearer was interviewed, he related that he could actually hear the arrows hit the cape but he could just feel them loose their power and drop to the ground. After all the experiences they had they concluded that the Horo's reputation was real and they would trust it with their life if they were actual Japanese warriors.
Even though it has been proven that the Horo's ability is not a myth, it will just remain to be a reminder of Japan's rich history. Bows and arrows are no longer part of modern warfare. They are no longer considered nor used in modern battle so there is no need for an arrow catcher anymore. Although archery is not employed in battle, the art of shooting arrows is still far from dying.
Today archery is considered a serious sport exercising skills of discipline and precision. Not only is it a sport, it is also a means of recreation. I guess people would always want and will always try to hit a target.
In English, Horo means arrow catcher or arrow entangler. A lot of scholars are suspicious of the Horo's capability of stopping a speeding arrow in its tracks and it's reputation as a life saver. Because the cloak is made of sheer cloth, it is hard to imagine it being able to halt a speeding dart. Furthermore, the large colorful print makes the wearer a very easy target on the field.
I was watching a show on the History Channel a few weeks back and the episode was about the Horo. Like the many people with doubts, the researchers were quite suspicious of the capes ability. Based on their research, they recreated a cape made of silk and printed on it a large colorful emblem. They tied it to a dummy, and stood it against a fan to simulate a warrior riding a horse.
The next scenes were very interesting. Contrary to what others thought that the designs would make the wearer a very easy target for enemy archers, what they saw was just the opposite. When the wind blew against the cape, it danced and moved around, making it a very hard target. It was a confusing vision and looking at it you really wouldn't know where behind the Horo the dummy really is.
The next step then would be finding out if the cape or what looks like a cloak could really stop an arrow. When they tried to shoot the dummy with sharp arrows, amazingly the darts where entangled in the dancing cloak and were actually stopped. The arrow looses speed as soon as it gets entangled on the Horo and falls off to the ground.
After gathering the results, the next question was if a cape wearer would actually entrust her life on a piece of silk. They wanted to test how it would feel like to be atop a horse wearing a Horo and be pursued by enemy archers. They simulated the scenario but they dulled the arrows to protect the horse. They used professional archers and you could see the arrows raining on the cape wearer. Amazingly, the wearer came out of it unscathed.
When the wearer was interviewed, he related that he could actually hear the arrows hit the cape but he could just feel them loose their power and drop to the ground. After all the experiences they had they concluded that the Horo's reputation was real and they would trust it with their life if they were actual Japanese warriors.
Even though it has been proven that the Horo's ability is not a myth, it will just remain to be a reminder of Japan's rich history. Bows and arrows are no longer part of modern warfare. They are no longer considered nor used in modern battle so there is no need for an arrow catcher anymore. Although archery is not employed in battle, the art of shooting arrows is still far from dying.
Today archery is considered a serious sport exercising skills of discipline and precision. Not only is it a sport, it is also a means of recreation. I guess people would always want and will always try to hit a target.
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