 Kyu
Do. Historically, Japanese archery has been shrouded in myth
and legend, making it difficult to assemble a completely accurate
account of its development. Still, by focusing on the similarities
recorded in ancient chronicles, historians have managed to piece
together a reliable picture of the historical development of kyudo.
For clarity we have divided that development into five historical
stages - Prehistoric (7,000 B.C to A.D. 330), Ancient (330-1192),
Feudal (1192-1603), Transitional (1603-1912), and Modern (1912 to
the present). It goes without saying that the evolution of Japanese
archery closely coincides with the development and use of the Japanese
bow. The earliest known inhabitants of the Japanese islands, a hunter-gatherer
culture known as the Jomon relied heavily on the use of the bow.
Their bows were of different lengths but most were the short, center-gripped
type common to other primitive cultures. The Jomon bow was primarily
used as a hunting tool but it is quite probable that it was also
used in tribal warfare and ritual. From around 250 B.C to A.D. 330
the Yayoi culture flourished. During this time the bow came to be
used as a symbol of political power. Legend says that Japan's first
ruler was Emperor Jimmu, (illustration at right) who ascended to
the thone in 660 B.C. And while many historians dispute this, the
fact remains that in paintings and descriptions of his life Jimmu
is always depicted holding a long bow, a symbol of his authority.
A bronze casting from the Yayoi period appears to show the use of
a long asymmetrical bow. And a written account compiled by the Chinese
in the third century describes the Japanese as using a bow with
upper and lower limbs of differing length, so it is highly likely
that the unique asymmetrical design of the Japanese bow was adopted
during the Yayoi period. During this period Japan was strongly influenced
by Chinese culture. It was then that ceremonial archery became an
important part of the court system. The Japanese bowmakers also
began to borrow the composite construction used by the Chinese and
by the tenth century had developed a two-piece composite bow using
bamboo and wood. The Ancient period also saw the rise of the samurai,
or warrior class, and the bow saw even greater use as a weapon of
war as the samurai struggled to establish themselves as a powerful
new social class. |