noun
mounted archery; target shooting on horseback
Historical term for a Japanese martial art where archers shot at targets while riding horses. Practiced from the Kamakura period onward.
鎌倉時代、武士たちは笠懸で弓の腕を競った。
In the Kamakura period, warriors competed in archery skills through kasagake.
笠懸は流鏑馬と並ぶ馬上弓術の一つです。
Kasagake is one of the mounted archery disciplines alongside yabusame.
Kana spelling, useful for learners or when the kanji are obscure.
Variant spelling with okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Yabusame is another form of mounted archery, but it involves shooting at three targets along a straight track, whereas kasagake typically involves shooting at a single target from various angles.
Inuoumono is a different mounted archery practice where dogs were used as moving targets; kasagake uses stationary targets.
Compound of 笠 (kasa, 'conical hat') and 懸け (kake, 'hanging' or 'suspending'), referring to the target being suspended from a pole. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is associated with the practice of shooting at a suspended target while on horseback.