History of Archery in Japan

Upon establishing the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192, Yoritomo no Minamoto introduced the Samurai Ethic, emphasizing the dedication of samurai to attaining spiritual excellence through the mastery of horseback archery.Throughout a significant portion of Japanese history, archery held greater significance for the samurai than swordsmanship.

The Japanese longbow, or daikyu, used by samurai, retains its design in the martial art of kyudo, . Constructed of laminated wood, typically bamboo, and bound with rattan, the daikyu averaged around 6.5 feet in length, similar to the English longbow but with noticeable differences: the samurai bows were made of many pieces of bamboo as opposed to one piece of wood like English Long Bows. The bows of the samurai were also formed in the position of which they would be strong, in stark contrast to English Long bows, which were recurved bows or bows that were strong in opposition to the natural curve of the bow. The arrows were also longer and heavier than traditional bows. While both the English bow and the Mongol Bow had grips in the middle, the samurai bow had a grip 2/3rds of the way down to avoid the large reverberations in the middle. Due to its use from horseback most of the time, the samurai's bow needed to balance striking power with ease of use. This was achieved by firing the arrow from a position about one-third of the way up its length, leaving a shorter limb for manipulation over the horse's neck. Drawing these asymmetrical bows required a loose grip by the bow hand, allowing for the upper limb's forward movement. The release of the arrow involved relaxing the fingers touching the thumb, allowing the string to slip off the glove, followed by a rotation of the bow in the hand. Quivers worn on the back carried various types of arrows, including light ones for long-range use, heavier shafts with broad heads for close quarters, armor-piercing arrows, signaling arrows with whistling heads, and incendiary arrows.  

The prominence of bows and arrows in Japanese military tactics began to wane following the arrival of Portuguese matchlock rifles in 1543. As firearms gained traction, the bow gradually transitioned from a tool of warfare to assuming a ceremonial role, eventually evolving into the deeply ritualized practice of kyudo.

"Japanese Archery." History of Archery. http://www.historyofarchery.com/archery-history/japanese-archery/

International Kyudo Federation. "History." https://www.ikyf.org/history.html

Visible in this illustration are two very unique characteristics of the Japanese long Bow. The most significant departure from European or Mongol Bows is the grip, which is 2/3rds of the way down the bow to avoid all the vibration that hits the middle when the bow is used. The second is what side of the hand the Samurai knocks the arrow to. While many archery traditions use the knuckle side of their hand to rest the arrow, Japanese archery see archers rest the arrow on their thumb.

Other defining characteristics of the Japanese longbow were that it was made of one piece of bamboo that was shaped in the direction it would be slung as opposed to all other bows which were recurved bows or bows that were shaped in the opposite direction of the way they were slung.