An interesting form of an armor used by ancient warlords in old Japan to protect them from the arrows of enemy archers is the Horo. Usually made of a lightweight cloth like silk, it is worn at the back much like a cloak, and is worn by messengers of noble leaders with strategically designed light and colorful patterns to make it stand out in the battlefield. That way the messengers are easily visible when they arrive.

Horo means arrow catcher or arrow entangler in English. A lot of men are in doubt of the cloak's ability to stop a speeding arrow dead on it's tracks and its reputation as a life saver. Because it is just made of sheer cloth, it is quite hard to believe that it protected the wearer from the raining arrows of the enemy. Furthermore, the large colorful designs must have made the wearer a very visible and easy target.

A few weeks back, I was watching a show on the History Channel. It was a show about past warfare tactics and weapons. This episode talked mainly about the Horo. Like the doubtful lot, the researchers were also in doubt about the cloak's ability. They modeled a cape according to studies made, and printed a large colorful logo on it. The researchers tied it to a dummy and stood it against a blowing fan to simulate a messenger atop a horse.

The next scenes were very interesting. Contrary to what others thought that the designs would make the wearer a very easy target for enemy archers, what they saw was just the opposite. When the wind blew against the cape, it danced and moved around, making it a very hard target. It was a confusing vision and looking at it you really wouldn't know where behind the Horo the dummy really is.

The next experiment was proving the cloak's ability to stop an arrow in flight. When they tried to shoot some arrows at the dummy, amazingly the projectiles were not able to touch the dummy. As it hits the cape, it looses speed and falls off or gets entangled in the Horo.

After gathering the results, the next question was if a cape wearer would actually entrust her life on a piece of silk. They wanted to test how it would feel like to be atop a horse wearing a Horo and be pursued by enemy archers. They simulated the scenario but they dulled the arrows to protect the horse. They used professional archers and you could see the arrows raining on the cape wearer. Amazingly, the wearer came out of it unscathed.

After the simulation, the wearer related that he could actually hear the arrows hit the cloak but he can also feel them loose their speed and just drop dead to the ground without touching him. With the results they have gathered, they concluded that the cape's ability was no myth at all and they would trust their life on it if they were in battle.

Even though the cape's ability has been proven, it will still remain as a reminder of the past. Arrows and bows have ceased to be part of warfare. They are no longer seen as a threat to anybodies life so the Horo has lost it's significance in battle. Although archery has long been dismissed as an effective tool for warfare, the art of shooting an arrow is still very much alive.

In modern times archery is a sport with many enthusiasts. This sport of skill and discipline is one of the favorite recreation of many individuals. I guess man has a constant need of hitting a target.

Posted under Horses