Japanese weapon - yumi. Japanese weapons and their types
KYUDO- archery. Of all those transformed in the middle of the twentieth century. V sports, kyudo to the greatest extent retained its original form.
Kyu-jutsu (Japanese art of archery)
Connoisseurs of Japanese weapons know that Japan has long been called the Land of Longbows. The bow is the oldest Japanese weapon., and taking into account the natural conditions of the country - the most profitable. Combat on ships, in hard-to-reach mountain ranges, defense of steep coasts, forest ambushes - the bow is everywhere the most important weapon. A horse archer could deal with a group of attacking infantry, or run away from a group of pursuers not armed with bows, while firing from a roundabout back. Under the rule of the shoguns horse riding and possession of a bow were allowed only to high-born samurai.
At a time when the bow was of military importance, good archers were noted. The best were taken as the guards of the imperial gardens (in fact, the palace guards), or in the personal protection of the shogun.
After the Mongol invasion was repelled, “marathon tournaments” began to be held among archers, where it was necessary to shoot quickly and for a long time, while maintaining accuracy. The chronicles note many achievements of Japanese archers in these competitions. In 1686, in Kyoto, the archer Wada Deihachi fired 8,000 arrows within 24 hours, hitting the target over and over again at a distance of one hundred meters. In 1852, the archer Masatoki repeated this achievement. Within twenty hours, he fired 10,000 arrows at the target, hitting 8,000 times. The Japanese used bows of various types. Women used small bows Azusa Yumi. compete with bows auzume-yumi, used bows in battle hankyu And yokyu, less often - a bow of the Mongolian type yoko-yumi. Archers-snipers used huge bows daikyū. Used for shooting different types arrows In fact, each major genus used a different tip shape. The manufacture of quivers was a special art; the decoration of the quiver showed the rank of the samurai.
The Mongol invasion demonstrated to the Japanese an unusual tactic of using bows - group shooting by mounted archers. Although the typhoon helped to avoid danger, it became clear that it was necessary to think about the defense of the country in the event of a massive invasion. A bet was made on improving the individual skills of horse archers of individual samurai families, when each of the genera was responsible for the defense of its own section of the coast. Warriors who survived fifty days of battle emphasized two aspects of archery: the archer's physical endurance, and his mental toughness. In search of training methods, the eyes turned to. It was necessary to teach the warriors how to quickly draw the bow technically (without any extra effort) and how to shoot without aiming (and, consequently, without shifting the line of fire), because it is almost impossible to aim in a battle. However, over time combat value the bow disappeared. Kyujutsu (art of archery) turned into (the path of archery) - not, but a system of spiritual self-improvement, where the bow and arrows are just a tool for self-knowledge.
Inuoumono
Exercise in archery (kyu: jutsu) from a horse, a sport of bushi. INUOUMONO was shooting dogs with blunt arrows. In the center of the riding arena, a circle with a diameter of about 14.3 m was surrounded by a rope. Inside it, a circle of a smaller diameter stood out ...
Kasagake
In practice KASAGAKE the shooters galloped the horses along a special path towards the target, and from the middle of it they began to shoot arrows at a leather-covered wooden target with a diameter of about 50 cm, installed at a distance of about 15 m away from the path ...
Yabusame
A Shinto ceremony held to scare away evil spirits and divination, and an exercise in archery (kyu: jutsu) from a horse at targets. YABUSAME includes 4 elements: first, the leader of a group of shooters, which can be 7, 10 or 16, shoots an arrow into the sky and into the earth to establish eternal peace between them ...
About Japanese bows
When asked how the Japanese yumi (or o-yumi) bow differs from the European bow, you can see that, unlike the English or Mongolian, the Japanese bow is asymmetrical, and its lower end is half as long as the upper one. A similar type of bow is also found among the Evenks. Its bowstring is pulled not to the ear, as in the English bow, but behind the ear back, and the length of the arrow can be from 11 to 15 palms.
The Japanese bow has retained its shape and dimensions (from 180 to 220 cm) from ancient times to the present day. Its main feature is that the place where the arrow is superimposed is not located in the center, like in most peoples of the world, but a little lower. The bow itself was made of numerous wooden planks fastened together and wrapped with reed twine. This shape and design made it possible to achieve a greater firing range (up to 300-350 m!) And at the same time made it possible for the rider to shoot from a horse.
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The ancient yumi bows were simple, that is, they were made from a single piece of wood. However, even then there was that unique asymmetric shape that cannot be found anywhere else in the world; two-thirds of the length of the bow (36 reed-wrapped sections compared to 28) is above the handle and only one-third below. This allowed the equestrian archer to hold the longbow in an upright position and not touch the horse's neck.
Received, already complex in design, the bow had unreliable places - joints with bamboo; they had to be strengthened by tying with rattan fibers in different places. Weaves of rattan fiber and leather also created the handle. At the ends, the shoulders of the bow (kata) had a characteristic bend, forming horns to which the bowstring was attached. The horns were covered with metal and were called otokane; when fired, the string struck them, making a sound often used to give a signal. For example, when the emperor needed water for washing in the morning, three of his servants signaled this by making a ringing sound on their bows.
The string of the bow was made by specialized craftsmen from plant tissue, usually hemp, Chinese nettle, or silk (silk was typically used for ceremonial bows), and waxed to make the surface hard and smooth. Strings varied greatly in quality, from strong, strong bowstrings for combat bows to soft, flexible strings used primarily for sporting and hunting bows. The upper end of the bowstring was wrapped with red silk thread, the lower end with white. Almost all traditional bows varnished to protect the glued parts from moisture so that they do not weaken. The most popular color scheme is a black bow with a red winding.
Arrows for yumi were used differently, depending on the purpose. For each case ( combat shooting on the enemy, hunting, competition, signaling or messages) it was possible to choose a special arrow designed specifically for this case. On training arrows, tips made of horn, bone, or even bamboo were attached. The arrowheads were metal. A good warrior in his quiver always had an arrow with a whistling tip, which announced the beginning of the battle, and an arrow with the name of the owner, which was fired at a particularly important target. By such a family arrow, then it was easy to find a winner. If necessary, arrows with flammable tips were also used.
Kolchanov, there were several options. Wealthy warriors wore two: one small, made of willow branches, on their side, and the second, large, also made of willow or bamboo, on their backs. Often they were also sheathed on the outside with fur and decorated with coats of arms or ornaments.
The art of archery in medieval Japan was known under the general term shagei (the skill of archery), although nowadays it is more commonly known as kyu-jutsu (bow technique) or kyu-do (bow way).
The origins of kyu-jutsu are rooted in ancient times. Initially, bows and arrows were used as hunting weapons, later they began to be used mainly as military weapon. Already in the annals "Kojiki" (712) and "Nihongi" (720) there are references to archery masters. Even then, archery competitions were regularly held at the imperial court.
From the fourth to the ninth centuries, the art of archery was greatly influenced by close contacts between China and Japan, especially the Confunctionian belief that a person's true character was determined by archery.
For a long time, bows and arrows were just weapons.
In the 17th century, the transformation of kyu-jutsu into kyu-do began. Shooting has become not just a technique for hitting a target, but a path to enlightenment, a way of life and thoughts.
Since the 18th century the practice of kyu-do began to supplant the practice of kyu-jutsu.
In the 14th century, in the Edo era, kyujutsu gradually lost its applied combat character and, under the influence of Zen Buddhism, turned into a means of achieving special states of consciousness.
After the Meiji Restoration (1868), kyu-jutsu was practically forgotten for a while. Only a little later (approximately in 1895) kyu-jutsu was revived in an updated form under the name "kyudo" - "The Way of the Bow", which included the basic techniques of shooting from a standing position. Some traditional schools of archery from a horse have also survived - Ogasawara-ryu and Takeda-ryu.
With the beginning of the use of firearms, the bow as a weapon was undeservedly forgotten and practically ceased to exist until a kyudo teacher at Tokyo Imperial University combined elements of the military and palace ceremonial styles into the kyudo style, which became known as Honda-ryu. This style aroused great interest among the general public and actually saved Japanese archery from oblivion. During the American occupation, when a ban on the practice of martial arts was introduced, kyudo, unlike kyu-jutsu, became widespread, and in 1953 the All Japan Kyudo Federation was created, which published the first kyudo textbook, and which still monitors the development kyudo in Japan and abroad.
Japanese bow
The Japanese bow (yumi) has a length of 180 to 250 cm. One of the bows belonging to the legendary shooter Minamoto Tametomo generally had a height of 280 cm. It should be borne in mind that, unlike the English or Mongolian bow, the Japanese bow is asymmetrical, and its lower end is two times shorter than the top. A similar type of bow is also found among the Evenks. Its bowstring is pulled not to the ear, as in the English bow, but behind the ear back, and the length of the arrow can be from 11 to 15 palms. Shooting from it was carried out both from a standing position, and from a kneeling or galloping position.
For the samurai, skill with a bow was as important as skill with a sword, and there was a whole series of different shooting competitions. In "yabusame", the warrior had to hit a series of stationary targets at full gallop, firing three arrows with an interval of 10 seconds. "Inagashi" reminded trap shooting flying targets. The Enteki trained its ability to fire arrows over long distances, and legend has it that outstanding shooters fired arrows that could fly up to a kilometer away. In any case, the battle very often began with the exchange of "long-range arrows", which turned into a kind of competition between snipers, breaking the base of the fan or cutting the opponent's bowstring with a forked arrow from a distance of several hundred meters. In "inuemono" a group of riders fired blunt arrows at a dog that was running away from them. The legend says that one day a terrifying nine-tailed werewolf fox started up under the capital (Kyoto). The best archers were sent to exterminate it, but the archers, accustomed to stationary or moving targets along a predetermined trajectory, could not do this. Then Yoshizumi Miura, who is considered the best legendary shooter in the country, invented this method of training, and the shooters trained on dogs hit the fox without any problems. There was also a system of shooting for a while, when during the day a warrior could, without stopping, fire several thousand arrows. The record of the 17th century - a certain Wadza Datira fired 8133 arrows in 24 hours, that is, roughly speaking, 340 arrows per hour. It turns out only 5-6 arrows per minute, but the test lasted 1140 minutes! And the usual combat rate of Japanese archers was 2-3 arrows, like the English ones.
K.V. Asmolov. History of edged weapons: East and West (part 2)
The old proven practice of increasing power by increasing size sooner or later hits the barrier of impossible effective operation of a huge device. So it was with a simple bow. According to historians, English archers who shoot from the famous longbows " longbow", had big problems with broken bones shoulder joint. In such situations, when development reaches its critical point, either the device is abandoned, or a revolutionary solution is found that dramatically improves the characteristics of the old device.
Obviously, in the civilization of the Ancient East, such a turning point for came much earlier than in Europe. Two revolutionary solutions were applied to the Asian bow:
- composite structure- a wooden or bamboo base, reinforced from the side of the “belly” with horn plates resistant to compression, and pasted over with elastic tendons that withstand stretching from the side of the “back” of the bow. Everything together was pasted over and wrapped with tendons and protected by varnish or other material.
- recursive form- a curved bow straightens and bends in the opposite direction, which significantly increases the force of extension, and, as a result, the force of the shot.
Improvements provided the modernized bow with an increase in its power by one and a half times. The need for solid dimensions disappeared, because one person could no longer cope with pulling the string of a longbow.
But what happened to the bow of the Land of the Rising Sun daikyū(Jap. 大弓, "big bow"), which is usually simply referred to by the generic word " yumi ” (Japanese 弓, “bow”)? And why is it so unlike other traditional oriental composite bows, to whose noble family it belongs?
Custom Structure
At the very early period Japanese had a simple structure from a single piece of wood. Somewhere in the 3rd century A.D. e. he took on a long flat shape Maruki. From the 9th-10th centuries, the yumi bow began to be strengthened in front with bamboo plates ( Fusetake). At this time, Zen Buddhism with its negative attitude towards the killing of animals came to Japan and by the 12th century finally took root. When, in the same XII century, the Japanese bow acquires 3 layers characteristic of the eastern type, the anterior stratum corneum, of animal origin, does not take root. Instead, it sets its own structure Sanmaeuchi- wooden core with bamboo parts on the "belly" and "back". Further development of yumi has already continued in the direction of all the same combinations of wood and bamboo. IN Shihodake there was a wood core and bamboo all around. Starting from 1550, yumi is made with a front and back bamboo plate, hardwood on the sides and bamboo plates inside - at first 3 u Sanbonjigo, then 4 at yohonhigo, and from 5 to 7 Gohonhigo. The latter form was considered perfect, and from 1650 the structure of the traditional Japanese yumi bow was fixed. However, the breath of the new time touched Yumi as well. Since 1971, along with the traditional shape, fiberglass daikyūs have been produced with a wood core and fiber reinforced plastic front and back plates.
The biggest in the world
Famous English longbow(long or large bow) had dimensions from 1.7 m to 2.1 m. 2.27 m (type " nisun nobi"). For shorter Japanese (150-165 cm), the standard is " namisoun» at 2.21 m, which is more than the longest longbow. And the biggest Yumi hassun nobi, has a size of 2.45 m. Such impressive dimensions have a simple logical explanation - power. The lack of horny plates and tendons characteristic of oriental bows in yumi negatively affects technical specifications Luke. Even being a Goliath in the world of bows, its range is 100 m or a little more, at the same time, the English longbow, which itself is significantly inferior to the Turkish bow, strikes an unprotected enemy at a distance of up to 300 m.
Asymmetrical shape
Perhaps the most unusual thing about Yumi is his form. Usually all bows are symmetrical. Although archers-masters distinguish between the upper and lower limbs of their bows, nevertheless, traditionally the sizes of both limbs are the same - they are symmetrical. The Japanese daikyū stands apart in this respect. Yumi grip (handle placement yuzuka) is produced at one third of the length of the bow. Thus, the lower arm is two times shorter upper shoulder, i.e. the bow is asymmetrical. There are several explanations for this.
horse version
It is believed that one of the shoulders ( kata) was shortened for reasons of convenience for the rider in possession of a bow. The bow is very difficult to train. It takes years of training to master it, so the bow is not the weapon of poorly trained, mobilized warriors. The masters of bow skills were professional samurai warriors who learned their craft, including bow skills, from childhood. Usually, they were rich and owned a horse, especially since this significantly increased the combat effectiveness of a warrior (a foot enemy is clearly inferior to a mounted one). Such a version has the right to exist, especially since in other countries riders really used short versions of bows. In Japan, only one shoulder of the bow was shortened in order to maintain sufficient power, and that of not too outstanding characteristics, weapons.
hunting version
Everything is simple here. Lying in wait for prey, the hunter sat or lay in ambush. A longbow would be awkward to use.
vegetable version
An interesting interpretation is voiced by supporters of this version. They argue that since a plant, tree or bamboo, has a heterogeneous, denser structure closer to the base (root), bow makers had to compensate for the weakness of the upper part and the strength of the lower, transferring the center of the bow to the lower third. Actually, such an interpretation shows disrespect for their bow makers. Even if we assume that they did not know how the material is selected in terms of density and elasticity, then they could adopt the experience of other peoples.
Ergonomic version
There is another version related to the striving for perfection characteristic of Zen. A symmetrical bow is held with an outstretched hand with a slight tilt of the hand. The pressing force is not strictly perpendicular, but at an angle, which reduces the reliability of holding the bow in the outstretched hand.
In the art of archery kyudo handle grip tenuchi occurs along a straight arm-hand axis, which forms an angle of about 65 ° with the bow line. Such a perfect grip is possible only with an asymmetrical shape of the bow.
True, it is difficult to say what came first here - the egg or the chicken.
Which version is correct, I think, does not matter. Usually, folk traditions are based on an important and proven by centuries of experience foundation. Even if the latest science, at times, disputes the rationality of some customs, then over time it still comes to the same conclusions that our ancestors received through a long path of trial and error.
Confirmation of a certain rationality of the asymmetrical shape of the bow can serve as the existence of such asymmetry in the forms of primitive bows of the Pacific natives of the New Hebrides or the American Indians of the Hidatsa in North Dakota.
A bit about the spirit and technique of kyudo
At the core kyudo(Jap. 弓道, "the way of the bow"), the art of using a bow, is a Japanese traditional martial art Toyujutsu(Jap. 弓術, "the art of the bow"), which is complemented by the Zen Buddhist philosophy of striving for perfection on the path to enlightenment. Therefore, there is a sacred attitude to weapons, and a shooting technique dressed in a ceremony, and a philosophical content of each element of kyudo. Since written sources are denied in Zen, the true transfer of experience occurs exclusively in the communication of the student with the teacher, and through the transformation and comprehension of the acquired knowledge by the student himself. The spectacle of kyudo competitions is truly fascinating.
The equipment used in kyudo has strict regulations, deviations from which are not allowed, in fact, as in other traditional arts. The most important element here, of course, is the yumi bow - a sacred object, and the attitude towards it is appropriate. No less respectful attitude towards arrows I, and to the string tsuru. You can't do kyudo without a special shooting glove yugake, quiver for arrows yazutsu and a protective cover for the bow yumibukuro. - traditional Japanese budo: black hakama (wide trousers-skirt), white tabi(Japanese socks-mittens), belt obi, White jacket- respect. Women also need a special protective bib muneate.
The archery technique is like a dance of 8 inseparable elements:
- kyudoka takes up a position for shooting, legs spread correctly (ashibumi),
- the body takes a certain position (dozukuri),
- the bow is taken as for shooting and an arrow (yugamae) is set,
- yumi with an arrow rises above his head into the plane of the shot (uchiokoshi),
- hands spread out different sides, simultaneously pulling back both the bow and the bowstring (hikiwake),
- arms are lowered to the horizontal of the shot, and at the same time yumi is fully stretched (kai),
- shot (hanare),
- the final stage of zanshin is the return to the original state.
All this happens, smoothly flowing from one to another, in a certain rhythm of breathing. And kyudoka is completely immersed in the process, but is not concentrated on its implementation, but, on the contrary, is in a state of detachment, meditation.
Mounted archery
Considering the Japanese art of owning a bow, one cannot ignore its riding variety. Now this species is not so popular, because it requires large areas for training, the ability to ride a horse and very strong skills in shooting. So far, only ritual equestrian archery has been preserved. yabusame, which is held on religious holidays and at special official events. The military essence of a peculiar 4-stage ritual is simple, although not easy - it is necessary at full gallop to hit three targets at once in the form of samurai in full combat attire.
And earlier, archers-riders trained in other competitions. Inuoumono it was quite cruel, although from a military point of view it was effective. Shooting practice was practiced on live dogs. Although they were not killed, the arrows severely injured the unfortunate animals. It is good that this practice is in the past. And in kasagake the warrior had to hit the target standing to the side at full gallop the maximum number of times.
The popularity of mounted shooting at one time was so great that even equestrian duels were held among the samurai - horsemen rushing towards each other shot from a bow (whoever had time) at each other.
Other types of Japanese bows
Although the whole world has heard about the daikyu, and simply calls it yumi (a common name for Japanese bows), there were other types of bows in the history of Japan:
Heavy yumi were commonly used in naval battles. Huge arrows hit enemy boats. This bow has a two thousand year history. Currently, it is used for kyudo and various rituals.
Yumi Features
The traditional Japanese bow is made from wood, bamboo and leather. Modern analogues are made of carbon and fiberglass. The Japanese bow is an asymmetric weapon. According to one version, this form is more convenient for shooting from a horse. Yumi can also be fired from the knee and standing.
archery technique
The peculiarity of the Japanese bow is that the shooter uses longer arrows by pulling the string by the ear. In this case, the arrow is held motionless with one hand, and the other pulls the bowstring with a bow. The European technique involves pulling the arrow with the hand in which the archer holds the arrow. The rider lifted the Japanese Yumi bow up and turned it vertically.
Foot soldiers during the campaign held the bow on the side. When firing, yumi was also raised and turned around. The capture of the arrow was carried out with the help of a special bone ring. Sometimes gloves with leather overlays were used instead. After the shot, the bow rotated freely in the hand. This technique is the least traumatic, but requires long workouts. Arrowheads are hollow. Therefore, when flying, they emit a characteristic whistle. It is believed that in this way the shooter scares away evil spirits and frightens his enemies. The whistle of an arrow was also a signal for the start of the battle.
Archers and their weapons
Japanese archers were distinguished by endurance and rate of fire. An experienced master hits a target from a distance. The bowstring for yumi was made from hemp. Modern archers prefer various synthetic materials to it. The bowstring is not changed until it breaks. The place where the arrow comes into contact with the bowstring is reinforced with a thread with glue.
Attitude towards yumi
People who practice kyudo (the Japanese art of archery) believe that yumi contains a part of the soul of the master who made it. Therefore, he is treated as a living person, protected from heat and cold. The bow must not be touched without the permission of its owner. Also, you can not step over a bow lying on the ground. Yumi needs to be stored in a room with a certain humidity so that it does not lose its shape. In this case, you can adjust the shape of the bow by tightening and loosening the bowstring. Also, special devices are used for this. With proper care, a yumi can serve its owner for several decades.
The art of archery
Kyudo is considered a traditional martial art. In the middle of the twentieth century, it was transformed into a sport. Kyudo appeared during the Mongol invasion of Japan. Then the first shooting schools began to be created. Much attention was paid to the education of the spiritual personality of a warrior. Therefore, kyudo for the Japanese is also a way of life. This art was greatly influenced by Zen Buddhism.
Shooting from a Japanese bow has become a special ritual. It differs significantly from traditional European technology. When shooting, most of the bow is under the palm holding it. The target's diameter is 36 cm. The distance to it is 28 m. The master must follow all the forms and rules of kyudo. This is much more important than hitting the target with an arrow. In Japan, this martial art is practiced by 500 thousand people. This state has been called the Country of Long Bows since ancient times.
Shooting was taught from childhood. The future archer held a heavy staff in his outstretched hand, gradually increasing the time. Yumi was made from cheap natural materials. Therefore Japanese longbow was the most widely available weapon.
Use in combat
Yumi is irreplaceable in any natural conditions. It was used in naval battles, for the defense of coasts, mountain ranges, forest ambushes. An experienced archer on horseback easily coped with a group of foot soldiers. The convenient shape of the bow allowed him to shoot in any direction, sharply turning the body. Such an occupation was common for noble samurai. To neutralize the war with a bow, it was necessary to kill his horse. Less wealthy Japanese became foot archers. They were used to storm castles and other fortifications. Wars lined up in several rows. Each line fired arrows in turn while the other archers prepared. This made it possible to bring down a continuous hail of arrows on the enemy. With the invention of muskets, the efficiency of using mounted archers became minimal. But the samurai did not stop practicing this art. Huge shooting ranges were created in their residences, where competitions were held. Yumi was also used for hunting. The killing of a deer by a mounted archer was a rare event. In this case, a messenger was sent to the samurai family with a message.
Tournaments
The best archers were recruited to guard the shoguns and the emperor's palace guards. Tournaments were held among them, at which not only the accuracy of the shooter was evaluated, but also his speed and endurance. Archer Wadi Deihati in 1686 fired 8 thousand arrows per day, each of which hit the target. Only 150 years later, another shooter, Masatoki, repeated his achievement. Japanese women used small bows - ajusa-yumi.
Hanku, ekyu, eco-yumi, daikyū are the names of combat types of bows. Tabi-yumi is a folding bow. Ko-yumi is a ninja bow. Each kind of samurai used arrows with a special shape of the tips. By finishing the quivers it was possible to determine the rank of a warrior. Kyujuzu was originally considered the art of archery. Its main goal was to increase the physical endurance and psychological stability of the war. Kyujuzu masters defended the borders of the coast from the Mongol invasion. Gradually, the martial art turned into a system for the spiritual development of kyudo.
materials
The bow was made from Japanese yew and reinforced with bamboo plates. All parts of the onion were smeared with fish glue and pulled together. Then the product was covered with hemp threads and varnished. The bows of the generals were wrapped along the entire length. The string was made separately by special craftsmen. After all, it was considered the most important part of the weapon. Animal tendons, leather, silk and other materials were used for its manufacture. The bowstring was also wrapped with thread. While pulling the bowstring on the bow, the master clamped an additional loop on it in his teeth. Onions were stored in a special case made of leather or fabric. A wooden case with a spare bowstring wound on a special coil was attached to the war quiver. Arrows were made from strong and light woods. Some arrows were glued together from four fragments and wrapped with palm bast. Then the arrow was dried, checked and balanced with the help of plumage. The feathers of the owl and eagle were most often used. On the back of the arrow, a notch was made for the bowstring.
The tips were made of stone, animal horns. Then they were changed to bronze and iron. The tips were driven into the arrow and fixed with a winding. Their form depended on the destination. There were "generic" tips. They featured the family coat of arms. Such arrows remained in the quiver and were not used in battle. They were used to identify the samurai in case of death. Quivers were of two types - open and closed. In the first, the arrows were separated from each other by partitions. So their plumage was not damaged. The arrow could be easily removed from the quiver. Special cords kept them from falling out. Closed quivers securely held arrows and protected them from rain. They were fastened on the back or belt of the warrior with two leather belts. The bow and quiver were kept in the house on special stands. Usually the length of the arrow did not exceed 1 m, the average diameter was 14 mm, and the weight was 80 g.
Left hand
Warriors considered their left hand, in which they held a bow and sword, more necessary than their right. A samurai who injured his left limb was considered useless in battle. The Japanese yakuza retained the custom of cutting off their finger on their left hand in recognition of their guilt. Until now, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun respect archers and the Japanese bow. Photos with arrows are loved by tourists traveling around this country.
Some terms
Inounomo is an exercise in which a mounted archer fires blunt arrows at dogs. At the same time, the space was limited by ropes. Kasagake is another exercise. Mounted arrows had to overcome a certain distance and hit the target.
Yabusame is a special ceremony that includes exorcism, divination and archery. At its beginning, one of the shooters shoots an arrow into the sky as a sign of eternal peace.
Japan appears in our articles extremely rarely - and pneumatics are not welcome there (except for airsoft), and bows with crossbows have historically not been the most common weapons, mainly due to natural and climatic features, although it seems that there was also a subjective factor .
Kyudo - traditional Japanese archery
Any Japanese knows that the venerable gentlemen in the picture did not gather at all for fishing or, say, a dacha to install a greenhouse frame. Their path lies in a special hall (kyudojo) or on a platform for practicing the martial art of Kyudo (“The Way of the Bow”). Both it itself and the weapon used are sharply out of the canons familiar to most countries.
We have repeatedly addressed the topic of the so-called "Asian" bows, which are most adapted for shooting from a horse - powerful, short recurves, capable of almost being tied in a knot without breaking. They were based on wood, horn and veins. The Japanese, either due to certain historical conditions, or, more realistically, due to natural features, made their bows mainly from bamboo.
It is characteristic that the bow (like the crossbow), due to the peculiar climate, did not receive much distribution on the islands, although every samurai was required to master the art of shooting from it. Including from a horse. The inventive Japanese created their own unique version of a long throwing weapon, called wakyu (Japanese 和弓, "Japanese bow"), daikyu (Japanese 大弓, "big bow"), or even just yumi (Japanese 弓, "bow" ). Its design is asymmetrical, the handle is not located in the center, but is shifted about two-thirds down. This is what made it possible, when shooting, not to cling the tip of the lower shoulder to the saddle, knees or the horse itself. Naturally, wakyu were also used on foot.
To this day, this amazing weapon, like Kyudo, is very popular in Japan. And not only there, as evidenced by the video below. The only thing is, it is difficult to say whether the Europeans are able to fully imbue the philosophy of the "Way of the Bow", because these are not just shooting exercises, not so much sports discipline how much a ritual, and extremely formalized. It's like comparing the Japanese "tea ceremony" with our traditional snack on the run and a cup of coffee drunk in one gulp.
Samurai as they are, or rather - were
These pictures were taken between 1860 and 1890. The fact is that just a few years earlier, voluntary self-isolation, known as Sakoku (Japanese 鎖国, literally “country on a chain”), ended in Japan. And there began to receive novelties of scientific and technological progress.
So the samurai - like such serious guys - did not stand aside and accepted the art of photography with childish delight. And who would refuse - even now Instagram lives and thrives, and sometimes completely stupid selfies flooded the Web.
By the way, the pictures are lovingly hand-painted (yeah, the prototype of the anime). Naturally, most of them are staged, well, where the heroes are in family armor, they are 100 percent.
And now the main thing. In all the photos there are swords, in some places local halberds (naginata, no?), often - yumi. But there are no crossbows on dozens of images, from the word at all.
Why is that? Read about it below.
Japanese crossbows: stepchildren of the Land of the Rising Sun
So, in one way or another, any professional warrior was obliged to own a bow, remember "A samurai without yumi is like a samurai with yumi, but only without yumi ...". The crossbow turned out to be in a kind of corral, as evidenced by obvious and not very facts.
First, the number of modifications is extremely small. With the exception of the fortress ballista o-yumi (i.e. "big bow"), this is actually only one model - teppo-yumi. And there are some strange things about her. Look, “teppo” in Japanese means “gun” (this is what the first arquebuses received from Europeans were called). That is, it turns out that the name itself arose after these not so distant events, not earlier than the middle of the 16th century. At this time, Europe, not to mention geographically close China, used crossbows for hundreds and thousands of years.
Although there is evidence that crossbows came to the islands in the form of Chinese gifts as early as 618 AD. t have been used quite actively for several centuries. However, the gradual stabilization of the state led to their almost complete oblivion. On the works of Japanese painting, I could not find a single sample, bows - as many as you like! Therefore, based on historical realities, I will present an image of a Chinese fortress easel crossbow (ballista), moreover, a very unbanal rotten-arm design. I don’t think that the Japanese versions were anything special different from the overseas prototypes.
Secondly, teppo-yumi is a rather primitive, especially for this historical period, construction:
Compare it with the genuine "death machines" of the last legionnaires of the Middle Ages - the Genoese mercenaries:
It seems that teppo-yumi with a stock and a shoulder span of about 60 centimeters did not differ in outstanding shooting characteristics and were not so often used on the battlefields. Maybe some of them worked as ninjas for colleagues from hostile clans or gaping samurai. Yes, even then short distances from an ambush.
Or maybe there was a subjective factor. If in Europe they tried to ban crossbows more than once as a "devil's weapon", then why shouldn't the samurai consider them incompatible with the codes of bushido? That is why the islanders, who adopted so much from the Chinese, reacted to overseas crossbows without enthusiasm.
By the way, about borrowing. It is interesting that, albeit in scanty quantities, almost complete copies existed in Japan:
These shop devices were called "dokyu". In Russian, this is a kind of palindrome (the word is vice versa, like GROM - MORG) from "kyudo" (Way of the bow). Unfortunately, we do not know how the names of crossbows were written in hieroglyphs, otherwise one could speculate on this topic.
More about the history of weapons:
