FALCONRY

The art of Falconry was likewise introduced into Japan by this wonderfully talented people. Falconry is the art of employ falcons, hawks, sometimes eagles, in hunting game. An ancient practice, known by men before the age of recorded history, it was originated in Central Asia and later spread throughout the world.

The earliest known record of falconry is an inscription an Assyrian tablet depicting Sargon II (722-705 B.C.E.), engaged in Hunting boar with the aid of falcons. Merchants, soldiers, conquests brought falconry to every corner of the civilized world, and the sport actually flourished until the advent of the shotgun.

Regarding Japan, there is an entry in the Kojiki, and also in the Nihonshoki of a falconry match held by Hada-no-Sake-no-Kimi, a chieftain of the Hadas. When the Emperor Nintoku, holding a falcon upon his fist, asked Sake whether he knew this bird of prey, the latter replied that he was well acquainted with it. He told the emperor that the falconry had been the popular game of the nobles in the Kingdom of Kungyueh, which was his birthplace.

Up until the time of the opening of Japan to the West by Commodore Perry, falconry had also been the favorite sport of the Japanese noblemen. Professional falconers were stationed at the Imperial Court and throughout the monarchy. They were called "Takajo" and were mainly of the Hada people. Their highly developed skill and technique had been carried on from one generation to another.