Paper short abstract:

This paper details the ritual and ceremony surrounding horse-oriented festivals. Instead of human ritual aspects, the focus is from the perspective of the horse and how, over the centuries, Mongol or Japanese culture has shaped the horse.

Paper long abstract:

Literature on the domestication of the horse tends to focus on genetics and morphology, yet social, behavioural and sensory connections between horse and rider are significant. The adoption of riding the horse, the composite bow and the advent of stirrups were crucial points in world history, in terms of the structure of societies, in the engagement in combat and in the colonization of vast areas of Eurasia. Yet what were the consequences of the colonization of new lands in relation to the bio-sociality of the horse? The Mongol horse stems from ancient stock, similar to the first horses ridden on the Central Asian grassland steppe. The Mongol horse migrated with their human counterparts east, as far as Japan. Genetics was not the only element that migrated with the horse, however, as cultural aspects surrounding riding horses became integrated within local societies too. In Japan today, there are annual festivals, where horse and rider are dressed in traditional attire. Accompanied by fan waving and elaborate pageantry, each horse gallops along a narrow runway, while the rider fires arrows at passing targets, much as the samurai would have done during times of warfare. In Mongolia horse and rider gallop across expansive grassland steppe. With accompanying video segments, this paper demonstrates the differing ritual and ceremonial significance of the horse in festivals in Japan and Mongolia.