*Reasons* Behind The Unique Shape of Japanese Samurai Bows (*Some) (*Possible)

[kemsatofficial]

They’re also stylish af, and you know the Japanese got the drip.

[matthewquan]

I’ve heard it might have helped with making a huge bow not touch the ground when fired to have the half below the grip be shorter, but for that to be a legitimate reason, the bow would have to be huge and/or the archer really short

[AKlover]

IIRC Yumis usually fired heavier arrows then their English counterparts.

[tn]

Missionary Cosme de Torres (1510 - 1570) “Japanese are brave, proud and very trusting of their weapons.Young people have been wearing katana and tanto since the age of thirteen. The Japanese are the best archers I have ever seen in this world. Men like this are rare in the world. ”
“Estes japoes sao de altos coracoes e confiados em as armas. Os mancebos de treza annos para cima logo trazem tracados e punhaes sem nunqua os tirar. E sam os maiores frecheiros que eu tenho visto em este mundo. Sao homens que todas as gentes do mundo tem em pouco.”

Chinese Ming Dynasty General Qi Jiguang (1528-1588) " Japanese arrows are heavy and bows are powerful. Those who hit the arrow were always shot dead. They approached us and shot an arrow, and every time they shot, they hit a person. So the Chinese were afraid of it and didn't know how to use its useful weapons. "

[jonajo]

From what I know, even older Japanese bows were asymmetrical, and that the issue with material being weaker at the top is simply fixed by tillering. I do know however, that it's design sends less shock through the user's arm than a symmetrical bow.

[darkranger]

didnt steppe riders from central asia do a similar thing with their bows too?

[brytol]

I feel like YouTube is spying on me. Earlier today I was talking with my friend about japanese bows and how they are held at the bottom, and now this video appears

[nebelnoob]

I think european bows are more esthatic, dunno, like the symmetrical look more

[makokx]

Machine translation but close enough
Traditional bows have existed since before the development of science. In an age without precision measuring instruments or computers, they must have been based largely on experience, intuition, and sense. If you were to make a bow based on scientific pursuit, it would be an archery compound bow. The questioner points out that it is not scientifically consistent, but with this background, it may be difficult to find a scientific basis for a traditional bow. You say that Japanese bows bend at the handle, but many traditional bows from other countries are reinforced with hard wood to prevent the handle from bending. It is likely that they learned from experience that bending of the handle is inconvenient and improved it. There is a description of the Japanese bow in the Wei-Shi-Wa-jin-Den, and by that time, Japanese bows were already long at the top and short at the bottom. In other words, long before the bamboo bow appeared, the bow was long on the top and short on the bottom. It is assumed that this was inevitable because it was a wooden bow. Since there were no chainsaws at that time, shrubs and large branches must have been cut down to make bows. As anyone who has made their own bows from these trees will immediately notice, these materials have a higher density at the base and a lower density at the tip. In other words, the repulsive force is different at the top and bottom. For this reason, even if an arrow is placed in the center of the bow, it will fly upward (or downward) due to the imbalance between the top and bottom. However, if wooden bows were made from large trees, there would be no need to make them asymmetrical. Even if the height of Japanese people at that time was short, there was no reason to make the upper rim longer and weaker. On the contrary, after the introduction of the bamboo bow, the asymmetry became extreme, with the upper rim being 2:1 and the lower rim being 1:1. It is natural to assume that the "long upper rim and short lower rim" was no longer a science, but rather a mystical shape that was followed as a tradition in later generations. The Japanese have a habit of pursuing artistry in weapons and armor (typical examples are swords with intricate blade patterns and armor full of ornaments). Considering Japan's feudalistic society, they may simply believe what they are taught by their masters (seniors) without any doubt. Scientific analysis may reveal the lies of traditional common sense one after another.

[astranix]

Also because the Japanese are goblins in terms of height.

[palehorseman]

I wonder how different Japanese weapons would look if they didn't have crap materials to work with