Site on Korean bows and arrows

[Gianrico]

Hello,

If you don't already know it, take a look at this site:

http://www.arrow.or.kr/eng/index.php

There are very impressive images of arrows details. Look for exemple at the Hyoshi arrow at page 2: I have no words for this

Greetings

Gianrico

[MJuingong]

Gianrico:

Thank you for pointing this out.

[redhawk]

Thank you Gianrico,great site,unbelievable beautiful arrow,I really would like to be killed by it.......I guess I?ll reproduce it sooner or later.

[Thomas Duvernay]

Mr. Yoo Young-gi, and his son, Mr. Yoo Se-hyon, are two marvelous people to know. I've traveled to the museum a number of times; once, with Stephen. I was just up there last month. The senior Mr. Yoo is a Human Cultural Asset (Living National Treasure) fletcher here in Korea.

I would like to mention that many of the bows and arrows attributed as having been donated by me actually came from Dr. Charles (Bert) Grayson and Deryck Wood; I was just the intermediary.


Thomas

[Romain]

Great website, marvelous pictures

But the English could be improved...

[Gianrico]

I'm really not qualified for judge on this, but I agree... I think - if it would be possible - even some "technical data" would be appreciate... or some "tutorials" on arrowmaking (the one which has "galuchat" or shagreen on his head, for example). Data given with pics are a little poor, and the text often repeat the same thing for dozens of photos.

Just to say it in a "critical way" (we know it's an European specialty

Greetings

Gianrico

[Mike McKinney]

Thanks for the link Giancarlo. I found this site some time ago but forcot to bookmark the address. By the way does anyboy know what type of feathers are used on the Balhae arrows on page 2 of the exibition section? is it possible to aquire some of these feathers in the USA?

[Gianrico]

Hello Mike,

I'm making an expanded search for good quality feathers... about that arrows, I think, from top to bottom:

1 - eagle feather? You can use dark peacock or peahen feathers

2 - perhaps a kind of pheasant, you can try to find it or use turkey tail feathers instead

3 - This looks like bronze turkey feathers, originally would be buzzard (?)

4 - The last type, plain brown feathers, could be some exotic tail feathers, you can easily replace it with peahen brown feathers, or with black shoulder peacock wing feathers.

Here are some links:

http://www.rockymountainflies.com/flytyingmaterials.htm

http://www.nocbay.com/store/feathers/wing.html

http://www.peafowl.com/feathers.htm

http://www.matoska.com

Hope this can be helpful for you.

Greetings

Gianrico

[Ray Cover]

I don't know about long distance flight arrows but most target shooters and hunters prefer stiff wing pointers over softer tail feathers.

I realize that most of these arrows are meant to be used over and over where a battle arrow would be shot once and probably not pulled out of an enemies chest and reused. The softer feathers also don't work too well in the rain.

Was there a preference in asian arrows between the stiffer pointers and the softer tail feathers?

Ray

[Bede]

Ray,
The traditional preference in most of northern Asia and the Middle East was for raptor tail feathers. In eagles, vultures and hawks, tail feathers were considered as stiff as wing feathers, but straighter and easy to use.

There are all kinds of stories about eagle feathers destroying other feathers in the quiver. There was obviously a degree of prestige involved.

For flight arrows the Turks used several different birds including pelican and flamingo. Some feathers were chosen because the angle of the web was the same as the leading edge of the fletching shape so it did not have to be cut. Karabatak arrows were so-called because they were fletched with cormorant feathers.

There are books in Japan listing the types of feathers and some modern books on kyudo go into where the feather comes from on the bird and what pattern is appropriate.

Judging by some of the lists of types of feathers used, there was a wide range to choose from. Outside of the late Qing and the Japanese, most archers liked low cut fletching which probably meant that softer feathers would last longer than in high fletching designs. Another point is that on all the old bows I ahve inspected, i have rarely seen any sign of wear on the area where the arrow passed. It could have been wrapped, but also these archers might have been better at clearing the bow than we are.

I think war arrows were carefully made. All the old arrows I have with obvious war points are just as carefully made as hunting and target arrows. Of course, people only would bother to keep the best. Millions of arrows were manufactured over the centuries, but badly made arrows don't work well.

[mongolianarcher]

What do you mean by destroying other feathers in the quiver?

[Hyarmendacil]

Probably rubbing them off to nothingness as the different kinds of feather come into contact and slide against each other in the quiver--especially in a closed quiver where the arrows are stored point-up.