Horseback Riding Permission Day

What Is Horseback Riding Permission Day?

April 19th marks "Joba Kyoka Kinenbi" (Horseback Riding Permission Day) in Japan. It commemorates the 19th day of the 4th month of Meiji 4 (1871) in the old lunisolar calendar (June 6 in the modern calendar), when horseback riding, previously permitted only to samurai, was authorized for commoners regardless of social class. Because Japan was still using the old calendar at the time, the day is observed on April 19, the old-calendar date. The organization that established the day is not known.

Why Was Horseback Riding Reserved for Samurai Only?

During the Edo period, horsemanship was considered one of the martial arts, alongside swordsmanship and archery, and was treated almost like a weapon, much like swords and firearms.

• Restrictions in the Edo period: commoners such as merchants and farmers were forbidden from riding horses under the class system
• Change brought by the Meiji Restoration: as the government shifted from the Edo shogunate to the new Meiji government, new systems free of the old class hierarchy were established one after another
• The significance of this permission: lifting the ban on horseback riding was one of the events in the broader move away from class-based distinctions

Horsemanship as a Martial Art

The skills a samurai was expected to master were sometimes grouped as the "eighteen martial arts" (bugei juhappan), and horsemanship was counted among them. The list varied by era and school, but alongside archery, swordsmanship, spearmanship and swimming, riding was regarded as an essential accomplishment for a samurai. From the Meiji era onward, Western-style riding is said to have replaced traditional Japanese horsemanship as the mainstream.

Meiji 4: A Year When the "Normal" Changed

The year riding was opened to commoners, Meiji 4 (1871), was also a year of sweeping change in how society worked.

• 7th month, 14th day (old calendar): the abolition of the han system, replacing feudal domains with prefectures
• 8th month, 9th day (old calendar): the edict allowing people to cut their topknots freely and permitting nobles and former samurai to go without swords
• The calendar change: Japan switched to the solar (Gregorian) calendar when the 3rd day of the 12th month of Meiji 5 became January 1, Meiji 6 (1873). That is why the old-calendar "April 19" of this event falls in June in today's calendar

"Aoru" and the Saddle Flap "Aori"

The leather mud flaps hung on either side of a horse's flanks are called "aori" in Japanese. Some link this piece of tack to the verb "aoru" (to fan or stir up), but the etymology, including which word came first, is not clear. Enjoy it as a bit of trivia about horse-related words that may linger in everyday language.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Learn about the changes to Japan's class system around the time of the Meiji Restoration
• Look for a facility where you can try horseback riding yourself
• Trace the history of the relationship between horses and people in Japan
• Learn about the differences between Western and traditional Japanese equestrian styles

The Freedom to Ride a Horse, a Reflection of Changing Times

The day horseback riding, once reserved for samurai alone, was opened up to commoners was more than a simple deregulation -- it also reflected an era of sweeping change in Japanese society. Let April 19th be a chance to discover the little-known history behind the familiar pastime of horseback riding.