"Samurai Shooting from Horseback" by Lieuwe Boer

Great pic, awesome job on the horse. The 'bow' is a little small, Samurai generally use a Daiku from horseback to make sure what they hit goes down in one shot. That guy who claims to have a great knowledge of Samurai should have cought that. What a fraud. Meh, no one is perfect...

another comment on the sword, I also need to comment about it being upside down, but not in the same manner of the last person. the traditional way for a samurai is witht he blade up, not down as it is in this picture, most people dont know of this, but the purpose of this is to be able to draw and cut in one same downward stroke.

Not to be picky, but there are a couple of other things others didn't notice. The samurai didn't sit on the horse as it looks like your rider is doing. They stood on the wonderfully flat stirrups, which are purpusfully flat for this reason. By standing they were better able to get a more accurate shot. Also all samurai bows didn't have handles in the middle, they were offset. As for everyone nit picking on your swords: they do look weird, but if the samurai is from the time period as stated the sword was not a main weapon at that time and thus had not been developed to the quality that later swords were. Also the samurai normally practiced two shots I know of: a shot that is performed while riding past a target, where the rider holds the bow sideways and pulls the bowstring out in a manner that westerners consider very awkward, and the other is where they are a long distance from their target, a form of the duel, and they would trade shots and if one moved to avoid being hit it was seen as a great dishonor.

I love it. the horse is beautiful and the samurai too !!! nice armors

Absolutely Tremendous!!!!! amazing details...possibly one of the best pics on this site!!!!!! Great Job Liewe!!!! =D

Ive accualy shot from horse back and ill tell you IT IS HARD!!!!!! I got one bullseye on a still target out of like fiftey shots and that was not backwards!!!

13th century samurai wore tachi, not katana (daito). The tachi was slung off of a braid loop from the belt and was carried blade downwards. It was also far more curved than standard katana and generally longer but not quite no-tachi length. It wasn't until later (14th-15th century) that samurai started wearing the sword blade up in the obi (sash) but even then the tachi-style of wear didn't really die out until early Edo Period (1602-ish).

Upward stroke makes sense in iaido, while standing on ground, because you strike on the draw, but makes little sense in cavalry manoeuvring as you would wind up cutting your horse's neck on the upstroke as it would be diagonal (draw swinging upwards and to the right). So that is why tachi were worn blade downwards, you were never meant to attack directly from the saya (scabbard), but only after either expending your arrows or attempting to either flank an army or break their lines by sheer mass, momentum, and inertia.

holy amazing detail batman

i love it! you capture the movement awesomley. this is a very dramatic, well done picture.

Looks very natural and realistic. The only complaint I have is that...where is his leg?