Arrowheads (ya no ne) were made by special smiths who sometimes signed their work. The most decorative were never meant for battle.
The arrows (ya) had bamboo shafts
The japanese bow makers used substances which they had in abundance. That being bamboo and wood. The bow would be deciduous wood with a bamboo shaft fastened on with glue to provide support. But the strongest adhesive available was hide glue which had its drawbacks like weakening when damp as well as not being that strong. To minimize the stress on the glue bows became very long averaging about 2 meters. Bowstrings were plant fiber, usually hemp or ramie coated with wax to give a hard smooth surface.
To draw these huge bows the archer needed to bring it high above his head and then move his hands apart as the bow was brought down.
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Two Bows. The one on the right is a han kyu, or half bow, for use in restricted spaces such as castles. |
| Here we have various arrowheads. There was a wide range of
shapes and sizes as can be seen here. The large one in the center could
not be shot and was probably used as a a presentation piece. Arrowheads (ya no ne) were made by special smiths who sometimes signed their work. The most decorative were never meant for battle. |
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Arrows displayed in an open quiver. The arrows (ya) had bamboo shafts |
| Various arrowheads including peirced flat arrow heads with a cherry blossom design. | |