Historical Asian Archery Targets

Jim Welch · Post by **Jim Welch** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:35 pm

On another forum I am on, an archer is trying to hunt down some information on historical archery targets. He is specifically looking for some information about a triangular target that may have been used in Chinese Archer. It was divided into three horizontal bands with the idea that the lowest band represents the body of a horse, the middle band the rider's body, and the top band the rider's head.

Has anyone heard of this target?

Or, in general, what do we know of historical archery targets?

Jim Welch

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:00 am

There was a rectangular Chinese target with three white circles placed vertically on it. 'Triangular' may have referred to its appearance viewed from above, as some versions had a single leg at the rear. I have never heard that the position of the circles related to horses and riders. Not to say that it wasn't the case, though.

I covered targets in 'Chinese Archery'. There was a lot of symbolism in the design of targets in China, related to the supposed 'magical' effects of shooting in ritual archery.

Linguistic evidence suggests that the earliest targets may have been animal pelts, and that in competition the pelts were prizes or rewards.

Jim Welch · Post by **Jim Welch** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:36 pm

Thanks, I will pass that on to the individual.

Jim