Sugakji

[Gokmen]

Hi all
http://www.koreanarchery.org/classic/su ... orial.html

My question is concerning Korean archery. Today there is male and female Korean thumbrings and both are pretty big, especially the male sugakji thumbring.

Were these used on the battlefields as well?
Or are these just the surviving methods of the 'sport'?

Ottoman and especially Seljuk thumbrings are much smaller so that you can easily switch weapon and use e.g. a sword, mace etc without the thumbring hindering you. I cant imagine such big thumbrings as today's Korean ones could be used in battle (but maybe they were?).

Any historical data or evidence on this?
Or at least opinions?
Is there any surviving Korean thumbrings which are let's say from the 16th cc and earlier periods?

thanks a lot

Gokmen Altinkulp

[maruchi]

Were these used on the battlefields as well?
-> sukakji has advange over heavy bow, like warbow!

Or are these just the surviving methods of the 'sport'?
-> nowaday archery is near the sport ^^

Ottoman and especially Seljuk thumbrings are much smaller so that you can easily switch weapon and use e.g. a sword, mace etc without the thumbring hindering you. I cant imagine such big thumbrings as today's Korean ones could be used in battle (but maybe they were?).
->sugakji is unfavorable for fast nocking and swich weapon than amgakji, so sugakji used for professional bowmen, amgakji for ordinary.

Any historical data or evidence on this?
Or at least opinions?
Is there any surviving Korean thumbrings which are let's say from the 16th cc and earlier periods?
->recently, archologists found a sukakji at 16C battle field remains( aginst the Japanise)

[Justin Ma]

Is there any surviving Korean thumbrings which are let's say from the 16th cc and earlier periods?
->recently, archologists found a sukakji at 16C battle field remains( aginst the Japanise)

If you are referring to the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 1590's, I wonder if archaeologists also found surviving Ming Chinese battlefield items in Korea...

[maruchi]

Yes, indeed.

I think the Ming suporters archery goods similar to the old Korean's.
But they(archaeologists) almost don't know about the archery items.

Personaly, I really want compare the Ming bow with the Joseon bow.

[jack farrell]

It is amazing that of all the thousands, even hundreds of thousands of bows made in the middle ages in England, only maybe two or three were to be seen before the raising of the ship Mary Rose.

Archaeology is the future of the past, of the study of archery. This very much depends on the conditions under which the bows and arrows are found.

There are a few such finds in the Military Museum, Seoul, which look to be ethnographic (handed down, not to have been buried).

[Gokmen]

Thanks a lot Maruchi, very very interesting. So I read in your answer that Koreans also used heavy bows? Today there is a general opinion among many that Korean bows are/were light drawweight bows.

Gokmen

[maruchi]

Of course, we had strong kind of bow. we called it 'Jungyrangkung'
about 170cm's long, 100lbs or over....( 2times strong compare nowaday ordinary horn bow)


< left-> jungyrangkung / right under -> ordinary horn bow >

Exam for military service it was one of essential subjects.

[jack farrell]

We discussed Korean military bows just a short time ago.

http://atarn.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2050