The Maruki Bow

The Yayoi period (5th century BC) began with the creation of the Maruki bow, which was used as a weapon The Maruki bow is one of the Japanese Wagyu bows. The Maruki bow was the prototype of the early Japanese bow he absorbed the characteristics and curves of the Han bow. It was also called the Maruki bow in some areas because of its high killing power and the unusual pain of the person hit by the arrow, as in the ancient times, when he received the criminal law of Kibaru. Houhanshu - Dongyi Liezhuan" briefly mentioned that at that time in Japan, "the soldiers had spears, taten, wooden bows, bamboo vectors, or bone for arrowheads ......, the ground had copper and iron, but only the deer lattice for spears to fight, sharpening the green stone for bows and vectors" Three Kingdoms Zhi - Weishu - Japanese biography" for the first time to describe the and the bow The Book of the Three Kingdoms - The Book of Wei - The Biography of the Japanese described for the first time the characteristics of the Japanese bow as "short down, long up". The Book of Jin mentions for the first time that Japan had iron arrowheads, and the rest of the descriptions are similar to those of the previous dynasties.

The Sakado warriors were all equipped with maru bows, which is why in the mid-to-late Heian and Kamakura periods, it was said that "the Sakado warriors were invincible". The Kizaru bow was mainly used for fighting between two armies and for castle defense. When the enemy was close to the archers after the arrows were shot out, the archers would remove the bowstring and insert an iron spearhead into the end of the bow to fight as lancers. The Kizaru bow is strong and durable because it is itself made as a single bow, and the monthly maintenance cost is 0.08% to 0.16% of the total price of the bow at the time of purchase, making it also the least expensive bow to maintain. The average service life is 35 years. Bow decay is 0.031 kilograms per year. Angular deformation of the bow is 0.88 degrees per year. It is a must-have bow for junior high schools, high schools, and colleges in Japan for physical education classes and bow clubs. The annual production of Kimimaru bows is 550,000 pieces. In addition to Japan's domestic consumption, Kimimaru bows are the most widely exported Japanese bows due to their durability, accounting for 93% of the total exports of Japanese bows. The craftsmanship of the Kimimaru bow has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan. A mature Japanese bow has the following parts

Kawara (bow tip)

The word "kawara" is a Japanese word meaning "bow ear" and refers to the tip of the bow. The upper part of the character is called "Matsubara", and the lower part is called "Honubara".

Guanban

The bow is made of laminated bamboo and wood, and the inner bamboo layer is shorter than the middle and outer layers, so the small section of wood that bridges the gap between the lengths of the layers is called "guanban," with the upper end being called "shang guanban and the lower end "shi guanban. The upper end is called "Upper Guanban" and the lower end is called "Lower Guanban". This small section is usually only about 10 centimeters, mainly decorative, has little effect on performance.

Chezume

The division between the "kanban" and the bamboo layer is called "chezume", and it is usually protected by wrapping rattan around it, called "chezume rattan".

Yazuru vines

The protective vines on the grip are known as "Ichimono", "Mentaiko vines", and "Hiraku vines" according to their form, "Nu vines", "Suginari" and other names. It protects the bow when the bow and arrow rub against each other.

Grip

And bow grips are found on the upper third of the bow from the bottom. Usually wrapped in buckskin.

Bamboo Sections

The Wagyu bow has a complex contra-articulated form, from top to bottom Repo Crown Sections (はずかむりぶし) Hanging Sections (かけぶし) Bird Shoulder Sections (とりかたぶし) Foot Payment Sections (あしつけぶし) Hands Sections (てしたぶし) Bi-Waist Sections (おとここしぶし) Lead Hanging Sections (ひっかけぶし) (from here on out for the outer bamboo sections) Hime Counter Sections (ひめぞりぶし) (from here on in for the inner bamboo sections) Up and Down. (hereinafter referred to as the inner bamboo joints) on into the section (うわなりぶし) eye to pay the section (めつけぶし) yazuru section (やずりぶし) down into the section (したなりぶし) small anti-section (こぞりぶし) and so on the name of a variety of things. 1: Material

Mature Japanese bows are made using the bamboo-wood lamination method. Due to the lack of strong elastic materials such as sinew in China, it was smart to use laminated construction and enlarged shape. This creates Japanese bows with heavy arrows, low arrow speeds and high impact power.

Given that China's domestic production is more abundant, domestic bows are mostly made of whole piece of bamboo bow body, mulberry wood for the bow tip and grip, supplemented by buffalo horn (or even goat's horn) and other big elastic materials, so as to make a short bow with big elasticity, straight trajectory, and fast arrow speed.

2: Shape

Whether it is a longer bow or a half bow, the top half is longer and the bottom half is shorter. With the same material on the top and the bottom, even if the bow is drawn straight, it will produce a high trajectory. The use of heavy arrows and high-throw trajectories makes the Wabi bow more difficult to master than bows from other regions, but facilitates intensive shooting at a 45° angle, a method devised to make up for the inherent shortcomings caused by the Wabi bow's material.

Domestic bows are almost entirely symmetrical in shape. Straight trajectory and better pointing.

3: protective lacquer

Japanese baking lacquer method to cover evenly

According to the "Tian Gong Kaifu", China's Ming Dynasty bow "where the bow first billet, placed in the room on the Liangge, the ground is not away from the fire intention. Prompted by ten days, more than two months, through the drying of its fluids, and then remove the polished, re-added tendon glue and lacquer, then the bow is very good." It can be seen that the bow and arrow workshop in the heyday of the Ming Dynasty has developed a mature baking lacquer process.

4: Bowstring

Japanese bowstring is made of ramie and other materials impregnated with medicinal liquid.

Chinese bowstrings are mostly made of Tsuge silk, which is considered by folk experience to be tougher than mulberry silk for rough work. In the north and in the Guanwai, cowhide is used. And string pads are widely used.

5: Inscriptions and Certificates

The making of wagashi bows was quite similar to that of Japanese swords, and usually the smith would carve an inscription on the body of the bow to certify the maker. Experienced craftsmen are able to obtain a certificate similar to that of a Japanese sword jobber, which is transferred with the bow.

Domestic bows and arrows are mass-produced products, and smiths basically do not use inscriptions. Users usually inscribe their bows and arrows to prevent misidentification.