There is no such thing. There never was a cavalry as you are familiar with. NO CAVALRY!
As a wargamer this places you at a disadvantage if you are commanding Samurai against other non-Samurai armies. To achieve balance foot, archers, and cavalry are the core to a points list (Like in Warmaster.) Every Wargaming book have Samurai armes with cavalry. This is total fantasy.
Samrurai Armies never had a cavalry in a western sense. A solid massive block of horse flesh slamming home at a full run. With of course some dude with a pointy stick sitting on top. This way of applying a horse to combat occurred for the first time in the Russo - Japanese war or was it the Sino – Japanese war. Either way that is long after the time of the Samurai and not ancients. They had machine guns at that point in time.
The Samurai could never use the horse the way we are accustom to its usage. Physics is the main problem. Japanese horses were too small. They are tiny, like small ponies. They weighted about 400-500 pounds. Being that Japanese horses are about 500 pounds and a fully armored Samurai is 160 - 180 pounds. A horse can not run carrying >35% of it’s body weight. At the very most it can jog at the speed of a running man.
Our western horses weight in about 1500 pounds. War horses are even bigger, 18+ hands. In this case an armored knight at 250 pounds, which would be a fatty, is only 16% of the body weight.
I was in Japan this last November. My companies factory is in Kai. My hotel at the bottom of Shingen’s Castle in Kofu city. I ran around his castle every morning. The Takeda were famous for their Cavalry in the Warring states period. Shingen’s usage of cavalry made Takeda legendary. The cavalry was not used as we expect cavalry to be used. The Takeda used the horses for transportation, rapidly moving the army around the province(s) or rapid redeployment upon the battlefield.
Western American ranching horses. I am 5’10”. In the first picture you can see the horse next to me with his head through the fence. The top of my head does not come up to the top rail. The horse is bending down to stick its head through. In the second picture, my head comes up to about his eye. These horse are bigger than me. This June I was out at a working ranch in WY. They run a herd of 300 head. My western examples come from Eaton’s ranch.
Traditional Japanese horses. While in Japan on the weekend my handlers took me to see the Traditional horses. They are small. The top of their head comes up to my chest. In the first picture, you can see me bending down towards its head. The second picture, is an example of one standing.
Compare head sizes between the pictures. The western horse’s head is twice as big as mine. Where as my head is bigger or as big as the Japanese horse.
The historical artwork, painted screens, provide further evidence. Along with the very first picture in the post.
Size; we can compare the size of heads….Samurai on foot Vs those mounted. This comparsion of heads creates scale. Using the scale shows man and horse to be the same size. Also the Samurai on the horse looks like a child on a dog. Their feet nearly dragging on the ground.
Cavalry manvueves; In the battles painted there are never massed charges. There are individual group 3-8 rushing forward. The pictures below are from the Japanese book “Battleground screens – folding screens in the collection of Osaka Castle Museum.”
Why all of this? Well I am paint my mounted Samurai now as is another gentleman. The Warmaster podcast newest release is about the Nipon list. The question was put forward how to historically represent Samurai Cavalry? How to base them? The functioned more like Custer's 7th than shock Cav. I said base them long ways with supporting retainers.
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