Umazoroe - Horse parade

The gathering of soldiers and horses, and the inspection of their quality, training, and equipment. This was a military training and valor event in which warriors, equipped with magnificent horse harnesses and elaborate military uniforms, gathered.

There is an ancient record of a parade of soldiers by Emperor Shirakawa in 1147 (Kyuan 3). The word Heibasoroe appears in the medieval war tale Genpei Seisuiki, and the Muromachi period Kowaka dance refers to the gathering of horses and soldiers when Yoritomo raised his army as "Uma-soroe". The Nippon-Portuguese Dictionary explains it as the gathering of mounted troops and the formation of a cavalry corps. It is likely that the word became common around the end of the Middle Ages. It was a military event that became popular at the time when mass battles became large-scale and required mobility and organized management of troops. As "Seisuisho" says, "Gold and silver were used to throw away the horse parade," people competed for splendor. The large-scale Uma-soroe held by Oda Nobunaga in 1581 (Tensho 9) for the entire territory he controlled is particularly famous.

[Shinichi Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

兵馬を集め、集団として、その良否、調練、装備のようすを観閲すること。駿馬(しゅんめ)に華麗な馬装をつけ、軍装をこらした武士の参集する軍事調練・威武の行事。

　古く1147年（久安3）の白河院による警固の武者閲兵の記録がある。中世の軍記物語『源平盛衰記』に兵馬汰(へいばぞろえ)の語がみえ、室町時代の幸若(こうわか)舞曲に、頼朝(よりとも)挙兵の際の兵馬集合を「馬揃」と名づけている。『日葡(にっぽ)辞書』では、騎馬の軍勢の集合、騎馬隊編成と解説する。おそらく中世末ごろから一般化した語と思われる。時代的にも集団戦が大掛りとなり、機動力や軍団の組織的運営が必要となったことから普及した、軍事的行事であろう。『醒睡笑(せいすいしょう)』に「金銀を使いすてたる馬揃」とあるように、華麗を競った。1581年（天正9）の織田信長が支配領域全体を対象として行った大規模な馬揃はことに有名である。

［齋藤愼一］

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