chinese naval archery

Justin Ma · Post by **Justin Ma** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:15 am

Can anyone comment or point me to information about the use of archery aboard ships in historical times in China? Some of the information I'm interested in...

(1) When did the practice of naval archery start?
(2) Was the use of bows more prevalent than crossbows?
(3) Any peculiarities about the equipment or technique that made naval archery different from land-based archery?
(4) What were the most noteworthy naval battles involving archery?

On land, it's clear that the infantry preferred crossbows. But on turbulent water, I wonder whether the situation favored the use of bows. (Riding a horse on a boat seems out of the question.)

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:43 am

Not a lot has been written. The best-known examples are the campaigns along the East China coast in the Ming Dynasty against the 'Japanese Pirates'. Images show Chinese and Japanese facing off with their respective weapons. There is no sign of specialization in the weapons. Some claim that forked arrows were used to cut rigging; but I find that doubtful as the rigging was heavy and would absorb the impact of an arrow. I expect the fire arrows were widely used as implied in the destruction of the fleet in the Battle of the Red Cliff.