is Japanese falconry, a sport of the noble class, and a symbol of their nobility, their status, and their warrior spirit. In Japan, records indicate that falconry began in the fourth century. According to a passage in the Nihon Shoki (720), falconry was introduced by the Baekje noble Sakenokimi in 359 during the reign of Emperor Nintoku. From the outset, the central Court and local lords both enjoyed hawking, with the former trying to monopolize falconry, sometimes with banning orders. Central power, however, as seen in the repetition of prohibiting orders, had no complete control over local falconry until the 17th century. In the 13th century, hawking became popular among the rising samurai class as well as among court nobles (kuge). At that time, the practice of hawking was a means of re