Major Traditional Archery Festival in Korea, May 2007

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu May 17, 2007 12:21 pm

I moved my post from the bamboo arrow post to here for continuity. Sorry for the error.

Ok here is the skinny on yesterday's adventure. Mr Ahn, who had been designated as a discussant on my presentation at the festival conference invited me to a tour of the Korean Military Academy Museum, of which he is a curator. Then we proceded to the post archery range where ranking officers practiced. After lunch and private tour we were asked if we would like to visit the Important Intangible Cultural Heritage arrowmaker and his personal museum. Did not take too long to decide.

My Yoo jr. is a fifth generation fletcher. We were also invited to his workshop where he was working on arrows from a bundle of hundreds of shafts. Lots of his tools were antiques and he did not really know which ones had been made by great or great-great grandfathers. He trims feathers with scissors and finishes with a hand held burning tool. We sat on the floor, ate cakes and drank excellent tea whild discussing archery for hours.

I forgot to mention that our entourage also included my roommate at the conference, Steve Allely, artist of five Jim Hamm books and neighbor of Dr Grayson, and Bill Metcalf, a Quirky but talented flintknapper from Texas.

In all I will return a changed person with the warmest of feelings for the Korean people.

I also have to tell you that European types are somewhat unusual in this modern country. School children in the hotel computer center mob us and I have named them our "mice" after their attention to us.

Now we prepare other adventures so more later, y'all. -j-

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu May 17, 2007 11:01 pm

Hello again from the computer room at the hotel in Korea. My "mice" have returned to school and a new adventure begins today. But let me tell you about yesterday. Roland Bohr and his lovely wife had previously offered to take us to see Kim Park Young, Important Intangible Culture Heritage Bowmaker , and loe and behold we were able to make a last minute appointment. So off we went.

His practice range is on a prominent hilltop overlooking his city near Soeul. The government built him a workshop at the range to promote his craft. People were shooting with both hornbows and synthetic.

In the new and modern range building was his comfortable workshop, strewn with antique, handmade and one of a kind tools, racks with bows being worked on and a drying box used to dry out the last of moisture in a bow. This box varied between 24 and 32 degrees and was dehumidified.

If I got it right he would let his horn dry ten days before working it and wood core. Sinew was allowed to dry one day between layers and 30 days thereafter with a final 10 days in the box. Again the box is not heated but dehumidified. He works up about 100 bows a year, all at the same time. September is the approximate month for gluing horn, Oct and Nov for rasping the final shape, and Dec and Jan for sinewing.

He has a book with lots of pictures that is available locally. He will tell you anything he knows, allow photos, no secrets whatever. He has also helped fellow atarnites so I can only hope that those who he has instructed will reciprocate generously.

We watched the shooting for a while longer noting the wind sock at the target, before descending the steep hill back to the subway. I must also mention that Rolands lovely wife speaks the local lingua handily and it would be futile to try to visit without such a translator.

See you next time -j-

Thomas Duvernay · Post by **Thomas Duvernay** » Thu May 17, 2007 11:55 pm

Jack,

All I can say is

T

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Sat May 19, 2007 12:34 pm

Hopefully this post belongs here, and that atarn is not tired of me monopolising this post.

My interest was peaked yesterday when I met the associate director of the Silk Road museum, a private museum in Seoul. So today I climbed a very steep hill to a new 4 story building with contemporary interior; so tastefully done. Five dollars admission and up on the second floor is a case with three bows, a quiver and scads of arrows. Never mind the cannons, guns, porcelain, jewelery etc, etc.

Two bows are Xinjaing, 200 BC-200 AD+or- Nine arrows accompany these.

One bow, quiver and seven arrows are Yuan from Inner Mongolia.

Two arrows with carved out wood points appear Scythian, came with a bronze helmet.

I was allowed to photograph as well as make drawings, which are relatively complete.

The museum owners are also intending to open a new museum of Erotica ( if I have that right), in a month or so, which I was promised would have more bows and arrows. These are artifact type folks so, hopefully all is Ok.

Both Silk Road bows have lateral as well as diagonal sinewing to the limbs.

All will be revealed ASAP. -j-

Alam ed Din, Adnan · Post by **Alam ed Din, Adnan** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:33 am

Did you already post these here Jack?

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:15 am

Alam; Look at the date of the posts! -j-

Alam ed Din, Adnan · Post by **Alam ed Din, Adnan** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:34 am

yes, my mistake