Horse tack

Horse tack​

Prefecturally Designated Important Cultural Property (designated 1998)
Made: 14th c. silk & hemp fibre
Gokōgū shrine, Ushimado, Ushimado Town

This set of tack includes a bridle and sangai, a set of three fittings: 
Omogai (headstall) – attaches to a horse's head, i.e. the bridle minus the reins. 
Munagai (martingale) – connects the headstall to the horse's chest.
Shirigai (crupper) – connects round the horse’s tail to the top and bottom of the saddle to stop it slipping.
The many paper strings attached to the sangai’s tassels are thought to be the remains of gohei, zig-zag paper streamers, a profusion of which would have decorated the tack and identified the horse as sacred.
Based on typology, these valuable artefacts are believed to have been made in the Nanbokuchō period (14th c.). 

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Cultural properties in Setouchi city​