River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-11-12
A HORSE PASTURE.
4 Tract Seventy Miles Long and Fifty
Miles Wide, Fenced in by an EN-
bankment sixteen Feet
In HEIGHT.

banknent sixteen Feet
I'm Height.
The imperial horse-pasturing estab-
lishment in Japan was founded by the
continental conquerers of the island
where it is situated more than thou
sand years ago. The country con-
quered embraced the peninsula between
the bay of Yeddo and the Pacific ocean.
The country is table land, with an al
titude above the water of 800 feet. Ii
is seventy miles long and fifty miles
wide. 1t is of irregular shape, with
serrated borders, conforming to the
Irregularities of the bay and ocean.
1t has thousands of beautiful groves OF
oaks and evergreens. and the country
presents much the appearance of the
oak openings of Michigan and Ken
lucky. 1t is covered with clover. fes-
cue, and rye grasses. 1t was deter
mined by the government to reserve
all this region as pasture in which to
breed horses for the imperial armies
1t could have been easily fenced from
the groves of timber, but that would
have left it exposed to the attacks of
the hostile Amos, who were still only
hundred or two miles further north.
An edict was issued and thousands of
villagers were transported thither from
all parts of the empire. To these set
tiers the land along the streams, near
the border of the table-land, was given
on which to grow lOw-land rice. Then
his vast force was put to work to con-
struct an immense embankment around
this pasture. 1t is sixteen feet high
and sixteen feet at the base. In order
to leave out the rice land along the
streams, and to conform also to the
serrated edges of the table-land, it re-
CURED many curves and windings. For
this reason it was fully twice as long
as would have been required if it could
have been a perfect circle or square.
Asst was built it was 500 miles in
length. 1t was constructed entirely by
manual labor, without the aid of plows
scraper. or carts. The earth was show
eled into hemp sacks or mats, and was
then carried swinging on pole, by
two men up onto the embankment.
This was the work of years, but where
labor has little value and the word of
the ruler is absolute, anything can be
done.
After this fortified fence was finished
the work of subdividing it into fields
was commenced. The subdivision en-
bankments were twelve feet high and
twelve feet at the base. The whole
area was surveyed into circles. In the
center the corral was located. From
the corral triangular fields were sur
veyed; each corral and the surround
ing fields were in the form of a wheel,
the corral in the place of the hub, the
fields occupying the places between
the spokes, and the subdivision en-
bankments representing the spokes.
The corrals were formed by building
entertainments thirty and even forty
feet high. The fields varied in area
from 500 to 800 acres. Each corral
division had its official in charge, and
over all was a high imperial officer.
The aggregate length of these subdi-
vision embankments was more than
5000 meters. The tycoon who order
ed all this labor did not live to see its
completion, but his son and successor
did
When this fortified pasture was
ready for occupation officers were sent
to every province in the empire, and
the best mares and horses were bought.
Ambassadors were sent to China. Corea
and Manchuria, and the best equine
blood of those countries was purchased.
In thirty or forty years after the pas
ture was occupied there were 10000
horses pasturing there. At later time
it is said that the number reached was
100000. Same years since the writer
was invited to visit this great pasture
and witness the annual horse gather
ing. Early in the morning all the
roads and paths leading to the division,
where the driving in was to commence,
were filled with people frOm the sur
rounding country, This yearly round
up is q ggaa. occasion. and people 90
100 miles to see it. Men, women and
children cover the embankments in their
gay holiday attire. A swarm Of foot
men is hired to drive the half wild
horses out of the tlmber and brush.
When that is done 100 or 200 of horse
men rush them along the ever-narrow-
ing field into the corral 1t is an ex-
citing scene as the hundreds of horses
run away in terror, followed by the
crowds OF mounted men,
Arriving at the corral we found an
army Of people camped around it.
There was an improyised city of bam-
boo houses, covered with mats. There
Were eating-houses, lodging-houses,
theatres, shops for the sale of every
conceivable article, troupes of aero
hats, Jugglers, fortune-tellers, dancing
and singing girls, and crowds of coun-
try people in the gayest dresses. On
the corral embankments were seats
for the officials under the widespread
ing branches of gigantic oaks that
had been planted three hundred of
years before.
After refreshments, which consisted
of wine made from rice. fish, eggs,
and vegetables, the catching,
and branding commenced.
The horses are all caught with a lasso,
which is not thrown, as with us, but is
attached to the end of a long bamboo
pole. 1t is handled very skillfully.
Many were the tumbles which the
got In their struggles
with the thoroughly fright
eue9 animals These were
greeted with shouts of laughter from
the crowds on the embankment. All
the mares are branded and turned back
into the pasture. The best horses are
selected for the cavalry. and the others
are sold at auction, 0n long time, to the
who come from all parts of
the country to buy.
The forenoon was devoted to driving
in, catching and branding, and the af-
ternoons to horse-racing. These latter
are kept up till night and are full of ex-
element, The tracks are straight ones,
and the distances are from 400 yards to
a mile and half. Most races are
catch weights, but if not they are scale
regardless of age. A fourteen
hand horse will carry about 100 pounds
Each corral division will back its fav-
orite, and the betting is sometimes very
spirited The riding at that time was
not of high order, being more Ike /
that among our wild Indian tribes, as
seen some years since by the writer,
There was man of our town and he
was wondrous wise. He jumped into
bramble bush and scratched out both
!