Isaac
02-03-2006, 02:19 AM
Well there's no "regional field meet" section for Japan so I figured I'd just post this here and the Mods can move it as they see fit...
The falconry season officially ended this past weekend when I headed up near Tokyo for the Japan Skytrials. We began our journey leaving from Wakayama (where I live now) and heading to Shizuoka, a 4 and a half hour drive along the Pacific coast. We visited a falconry shop there and another gentleman who has a rather large personal collection of birds. I'll see if I can remember everything he had but I'm sure to miss a few: 6 falcons of various breeds, a pair of white goshawks, a pair of grey goshawks, a pair of normal goshawks, at least 4 or 5 other single goshawks spanning the color spectrem as well, 3 sparrowhawks, 2 Eagle owls, a Bengal owl, 3 Mountain hawk-eagles, and a golden eagle. Considering the price of birds over here I'm sure this gentleman had well over a quarter of a million dollars in birds...and remember he's not a breeder, it's just his hobby! Although if some of those pairs breed he'd be able to sell them for quite a bit. Especially the mountain hawk-eagles, since I think he may be the only person in Japan that has a pair! Amazingly enough, he does try to fly most of his birds too!
Anyway, back on track here. We had dinner with that gentleman and a few other falconers from the area that night. I can only say that it was NOTHING like any falconry dinner I've ever experienced before. I'll try anything at least once and so on that night I ate several different types of snails, shellfish, something that was described to me as being fish testicles (!?), anglerfish liver (kinda like camambel cheese) and meat (like a wet sponge), and I'm sure some other things that I've tried to forget. Amazingly enough my stomach of steel processed everything without a problem.
The next morning we woke up early to complete the rest of our trip to the field just outside of Tokyo. It was another 5 hour trip and we arrived at the flying field just as the first flight began. This years event was held at a field adjacent to the local castle so it had quite the "Japanese" feel to it (all the Japanese people wandering around helped too though I'm sure :-) ). Unfortunately there was a steady rain throughout the day which prevented any really amazing flights. The highest pitch a falcon took was perhaps 250 feet and I think that probably doubled the next highest. The average pitch was a meager 100 feet. No pigeons were caught and I don't think a second stoop was ever taken, pursuit points were low to non-existent. Some falcons were so low that they didn't even stoop, a tossed pigeon was already at their height! I don't know if the lack of height was due to the rain or just falcons that were regularly flown low. The falconers sure seemed to want to reign in their birds just as they were getting started. Maybe I'm just spoiled since I grew up with American Skytrials.
The falcons were flown in the morning and the afternoon was dedicated to time trials for goshawks and Harris hawks with seperate categories for each bird. A man with a pigeon on a string was placed 75 yards away from the contestant. When the pigeon was flashed the bird was timed on how long it took to cover the first 50 yards. (No pigeons were harmed in this contest either. After the pigeon was flashed it was promptly tucked under the falconers coat)If there was no reaction from the bird within one minute, the bird was disqualified (understandably!). The large crowd with umbrellas as well as the rain probably contributed to the lack of enthusiam from the birds and only a half dozen or so goshawks left the fist and only one or two Harris'.
As far as entertaining, quality flights, this event was certainly lacking and the weather certainly didn't help, but there's something about being surrounded with like-minded individuals who enjoy the same passion for these magnificent birds makes any gathering enjoyable. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
The falconry season officially ended this past weekend when I headed up near Tokyo for the Japan Skytrials. We began our journey leaving from Wakayama (where I live now) and heading to Shizuoka, a 4 and a half hour drive along the Pacific coast. We visited a falconry shop there and another gentleman who has a rather large personal collection of birds. I'll see if I can remember everything he had but I'm sure to miss a few: 6 falcons of various breeds, a pair of white goshawks, a pair of grey goshawks, a pair of normal goshawks, at least 4 or 5 other single goshawks spanning the color spectrem as well, 3 sparrowhawks, 2 Eagle owls, a Bengal owl, 3 Mountain hawk-eagles, and a golden eagle. Considering the price of birds over here I'm sure this gentleman had well over a quarter of a million dollars in birds...and remember he's not a breeder, it's just his hobby! Although if some of those pairs breed he'd be able to sell them for quite a bit. Especially the mountain hawk-eagles, since I think he may be the only person in Japan that has a pair! Amazingly enough, he does try to fly most of his birds too!
Anyway, back on track here. We had dinner with that gentleman and a few other falconers from the area that night. I can only say that it was NOTHING like any falconry dinner I've ever experienced before. I'll try anything at least once and so on that night I ate several different types of snails, shellfish, something that was described to me as being fish testicles (!?), anglerfish liver (kinda like camambel cheese) and meat (like a wet sponge), and I'm sure some other things that I've tried to forget. Amazingly enough my stomach of steel processed everything without a problem.
The next morning we woke up early to complete the rest of our trip to the field just outside of Tokyo. It was another 5 hour trip and we arrived at the flying field just as the first flight began. This years event was held at a field adjacent to the local castle so it had quite the "Japanese" feel to it (all the Japanese people wandering around helped too though I'm sure :-) ). Unfortunately there was a steady rain throughout the day which prevented any really amazing flights. The highest pitch a falcon took was perhaps 250 feet and I think that probably doubled the next highest. The average pitch was a meager 100 feet. No pigeons were caught and I don't think a second stoop was ever taken, pursuit points were low to non-existent. Some falcons were so low that they didn't even stoop, a tossed pigeon was already at their height! I don't know if the lack of height was due to the rain or just falcons that were regularly flown low. The falconers sure seemed to want to reign in their birds just as they were getting started. Maybe I'm just spoiled since I grew up with American Skytrials.
The falcons were flown in the morning and the afternoon was dedicated to time trials for goshawks and Harris hawks with seperate categories for each bird. A man with a pigeon on a string was placed 75 yards away from the contestant. When the pigeon was flashed the bird was timed on how long it took to cover the first 50 yards. (No pigeons were harmed in this contest either. After the pigeon was flashed it was promptly tucked under the falconers coat)If there was no reaction from the bird within one minute, the bird was disqualified (understandably!). The large crowd with umbrellas as well as the rain probably contributed to the lack of enthusiam from the birds and only a half dozen or so goshawks left the fist and only one or two Harris'.
As far as entertaining, quality flights, this event was certainly lacking and the weather certainly didn't help, but there's something about being surrounded with like-minded individuals who enjoy the same passion for these magnificent birds makes any gathering enjoyable. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.