what style this korean hornbow???

Fashions in Korean bow-design change slightly over ten years or so. For example, over the past 30-40 years, Korean bows have become narrower and narrower.

Its very interesting , if you mr. Selby can informating us vith more detailes about time changes korean hornbows. For example, the statue horsearcher in korea loking like he have bow like indopersian or mongolian style vith no working ears.

The Korean people are very proud of their horn bow design. At the present time, this design is unique in Asia; but in the past it probably was not.

Korean wall paintings from Kokuryo show a bow design that was common in northern China, which first emerged with the formation of the Xiongnu confederation. There is very little information covering that time up until the Ming Dynasty.

After the Mongolian Empire, Korean forces were in disarray. China sent missions to give military support and training and to wipe out remaining Mongiolian forces. At that time it seems that the Ming style of bow entered Korea. The Ming style itself may have been introduced to China from Turkey by Turkish mercenaries who made up a large proportion of Mongolian forces. Ming archery and military manuals illustrate the Ming style 'small siyah bow' (小 弓/肖 弓) (I have to make up the middle character here.) This bow is very similar to the modern Korean hornbow, but had a prominent fork at the tip of the siyahs to assist riders to pick up arrows from the ground on horseback.

The Ming design was superseded by the Qing design in China; but not in Korea. However, many Qing bows were used in Korea. It seems they were never made there.

When bows were in military use in Korea they were more robustly built, with broader limbs for stability. They probably were normally built to a draw-weight of 80# or more. After traditional archery was only left in the hands of civilians, draw weights dropped to 50#-60#. To allow better performance with a lower weights, the limbs were gradually made more narrow and non-working siyahs were reduced.

Thank you ! This is very interesting. This measurments and changes is visible in old korean bows in korean sites. Few from all have very robustly syiahs vith artwork and for me is very strange that in the same period was use horsebows and short wood komposite bows. Like huntig Bows (?) Very importend is that Korean people have their "living history" bowmasters. Have this profesionals any knowledge about change reason and efektivity this changes ?

thanks stephen , i add some pictures of ming and korean hornbows

a korean hornbow
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ming hornbow
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Thanks Jiao, informativ picture. Its very interesting for me , how changed and developed this turkic bows.

my friend send me hornbow pictures of china tang dynasty, san guo,nan chao , i'm not sure it can post in internet, i want to got the hornbow pictures of china each dynasty,seemed the chinese bow style of string/draw easy to see, but what style of these bow unstring?

what same and differ the han hornbow and korean and turkish

china han dynasty


turkish hornbow by adam Karpowicz
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korean
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china ming dynasty
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Why did he think the picture was of a North Korean hornbow? The picture, from 1962, was taken in Yechon, which is part of my province here in SOUTH Korea. Actually, Yechon is the capital of the southern style of hornbows (Kaesong, in NK, was the capital of the northern style).


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This is another question .Is any diferences betven S.korean and N.Korean hornbows ?Exist today N.Korean bow masters and traditional archery in N. Korea ?

infact this topic has two part, all of us will be interested

it is a mistake of my reasoning , sorry for my mistake, this bow differ to today korean hornbow so i reasoning it is a North Korean hornbow, also in china qing dynasty has differ style North and south

today i find other same style hornbow
http://archery.news-paper.co.kr/news_vi ... ss_id=&hd=
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http://archery.news-paper.co.kr/news_vi ... ss_id=&hd=
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thomas , what style of this bow unstrings? why so many style the old hornbows?
http://www.hornbow.com/oldbow.html

Jiao, this fotos is fantastic. Its all from korean region , or china ?

the new post picture form korean, i am not know the character of korean, for look the picture only

All the bows, with the exception of the recurve in the upper picture, are Korean. This last group of pictures says they were taken in Bucheon, which is not too far from Seoul, and that they involved the US military. I'm wondering if the fellow shooting the Western recurve in the upper pic might be Lt. Col. Milan Ellot who got involved in Korean archery back around the early 60s.

There have been many styles of horn bows, with bowyers adding their own unique details. Generally speaking, the "Northern" style of bow is considered faster, as the limbs are narrower than the "Southern" style, which are considered more stable. My Korean bowyer friend, Park Geuk-hwan, gave me several historic bows years ago; I believe I posted pics of them at one time, but I will see about posting them again sometime.


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Thank you. I neurosly vait at this (soon) future. This thema is very interesting for me. Korean bows and bowyears are last mohykans high quality asiatic composite bows in the world in his traditional very old style.

I look at "turkish hornbow by adam Karpowicz"

My wood boyer's mind has trouble beliving that the picture has not been photoshopped. :oops: Gosh the horn bends!

thanks thomas

60s? it is time 1960 or 60 years ago?at that time what happen? what story of korean bowyers about this style korean hornbow

i has imagine a sinew back horn bow, it has no a core but has a kasan and wood handle, so there(the most crazy bend area)can bend more and fast , possibility?it will do when i liveing in south china start more hornbow project

jiao wrote:

thanks thomas

60s? it is time 1960 or 60 years ago?at that time what happen? what story of korean bowyers about this style korean hornbow

i has imagine a sinew back horn bow, it has no a core but has a kasan and wood handle, so there(the most crazy bend area)can bend more and fast , possibility?it will do when i liveing in south china start more hornbow project

1960s. It was at that time that archery in Korea split between FITA and traditional. Plus, it was the beginning of the push for industrialization in Korea, which also brought along with it a lot of modernization.


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Thomas; Does the Duvernay collection contain a war bow? Arrow? -j-

Good question Jack. But if i can , litle more. How look true korean Warbow ? whitch of this fue pictures in net are warbow ?

Jack,

Nah, just sport bows going back to the 50s.


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i want to got a bow like this, the photo show the bow string and draw, is this bow can make in korean or other? use the fiberglass not sinew/wood/horn, the too much bend in bow lumb,bow 50inch long and 35in draw ,is this bow can not make by fiberglass?
and bow ears like this
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Thomas
can you help me find the picture? the picture link of korean is error now, or you can post the old korean horn bow string pics before 1960?thanks

Jiao,

I'm not sure which pictures they were...


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