Falconry
- Japanese: 鷹狩 (takagari)
Falconry (lit. "falcon hunting") was a popular pastime among the samurai. Not only an elite and presumably enjoyable pastime in itself, the falcon also came to be associated with the samurai class itself - highly trained and dangerous, but restrained, controlled, and awaiting orders.[1]
Signalling batons called zai (麾), and similar to the saihai used in battle, were used in falconry.[2]
The shogunal falconry grounds were taken out of use in 1721. Falconry was not practiced there after that date, but the lands remained off-limits to commoners.
As a result of the popularity of the practice, and of the martial associations, falcons were a common theme in hanging scroll, fusuma, and byôbu paintings prized by the samurai. A painting of a falcon conveyed that the painting's owner valued both bun and bu - that he was both martial, strong, tough, fierce, and also cultured, with an aesthetic sense and appreciation for paintings. Eagles (J: washi) were a common theme as well, because of a saying that eagles look up to none (ue minu washi), which made eagles therefore an apt association with samurai hierarchy and elitism.[3]
