Backward strung yumi??
I saw this video on youtube and the the bow seems to be strung backwards. Am I wrong?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PusfBBIidas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PusfBBIidas
I contacted an anthropologist name Michael Touran and this is a letter he wrote to me, explaining the inverted yum:
"Dear Jhoneil,
Nice to meet you!
During all my researches, with the intent to know deeply some kind of cultures that today remains almost as closed cultures or near extinction, by an non expected way, I?ve saw myself interest in some old Japanese aspects. That?s how I had information about UraYumi.
This kind of shoot makes its presence in what they call E-Bunto, imbued in religious aspects and its relations to the gods and harvest period. Japan has many religious fragments, and as the time passed, two religions became stronger: Buddhism and Shinto. But this does not means that others disappeared, although they were restricted to a small group along the years.
As I?m am psychologist and anthropologist, one day I was in South America to do a research involving some religious practices with native?s psychotropic substances, and during a conference that I had opportunity to participate, I?ve met a Japanese anthropologist that told me about this culture. Then I started to get more interest in those aspects, as my desire to study the Kyudo art began, as I was already a Knedo and Iaido practitioner.
The cultural aspects shows that the native people of Japan, not the Japanese, had their own religious that was linked to the nature facts as seasons, storms, plagues, etc. As their survivor depends on of the harvest, and protection against attacks, their deities was related to this aspects as war, health and disease, emotions, magic, and etc., and which they call Tengu, or nature?s energy. These deities were adored and seem to have similar characters as human being (just like Greek and Rome?s beliefs), and with the interaction with them, they were able to bring conditions of better harvest, protections, and peace. There are many Tengu, each one related to a sort of force, and that?s why the name E-Bunto in their dialect, meaning Great Force or Great Energy.
Some researches say that these cultural elements come from Ainu people, which later, in Japanese history, have moved to Hokkaido. As the deities were nature?s forces or energies, were also related to forest and mountains, and that?s why we can find a few legends telling about the transmissions of war knowledge to men. The most famous is about Karassu Tengu and Shojobu or Sojobu Tengu. The first one is responsible to connect men to other deities, as a communicator. The second one is the owner of wisdom, and in some paintings this Tengu appears holding rolled up documents, just as you can find as Makimono - contenting all secrets of a lineage or knowledge. Some others says that these rolled up documents are related to Tora. As each one has a specific aspect that identify them, Karassu Tengu, by an other Tengu magic power ? Sussunda Tengu -, as punishment, was transformed and condemned into a crow?s form, and that?s why we see his figure like that in registers of this kind of culture. Shojobu Tengu, as symbolize the wisdom, is old and has a big nose. Most of people knows only these two Tengu, but in reality, their many.
The harvest and hunter Tengu is known as Tateru Tengu, and his is the bow. There?s a legend that tells how the bow became also a weapon of Senso Tengu or Tengu of War, as a gift from Tateru Tengu. The UraYumi comes from religious ceremonies related to Tateru Tengu. Some says that this people used to invert the bow in the Tateru ceremony to keep away demons that could bring the plague to the harvests, in which their survivor depended on, as a way of invert the bad energy that could come to the fields. As the bow became also a Senso Tengu?s weapon, the UraYumi was also present in ceremonies related to war periods, to bring protection against the enemy, and in some other aspects as a way of the gods recognize the warrior when invited to the battlefield.
As E-Bunto in imbued in mystics aspects, Japanese people started to fear this forest religious and Tengu was named as nature?s demons, as the forest was feared too. Just like Robin Hood?s forest, surrounded by myths. The difference was that in Japanese culture, in old times, we could find also other mystics religious as Shinto, and the country was a many gods? land, each religious with their own legends and superstitions, which collaborated to spread the Tengu fame as a bad demons that used to eat children ? the same aspect related to witches in Europe and North America.
Nowadays, we can find Tengu masks in N? theatre as a personage, always illustrated in red color and big nose. And commonly the knowledge about Tengu?s culture resumes itself to Karassu and Shojobu Tengu, due to art martial histories and its transmission, as the sword art.
Best regards,
Touran"
"Dear Jhoneil,
Nice to meet you!
During all my researches, with the intent to know deeply some kind of cultures that today remains almost as closed cultures or near extinction, by an non expected way, I?ve saw myself interest in some old Japanese aspects. That?s how I had information about UraYumi.
This kind of shoot makes its presence in what they call E-Bunto, imbued in religious aspects and its relations to the gods and harvest period. Japan has many religious fragments, and as the time passed, two religions became stronger: Buddhism and Shinto. But this does not means that others disappeared, although they were restricted to a small group along the years.
As I?m am psychologist and anthropologist, one day I was in South America to do a research involving some religious practices with native?s psychotropic substances, and during a conference that I had opportunity to participate, I?ve met a Japanese anthropologist that told me about this culture. Then I started to get more interest in those aspects, as my desire to study the Kyudo art began, as I was already a Knedo and Iaido practitioner.
The cultural aspects shows that the native people of Japan, not the Japanese, had their own religious that was linked to the nature facts as seasons, storms, plagues, etc. As their survivor depends on of the harvest, and protection against attacks, their deities was related to this aspects as war, health and disease, emotions, magic, and etc., and which they call Tengu, or nature?s energy. These deities were adored and seem to have similar characters as human being (just like Greek and Rome?s beliefs), and with the interaction with them, they were able to bring conditions of better harvest, protections, and peace. There are many Tengu, each one related to a sort of force, and that?s why the name E-Bunto in their dialect, meaning Great Force or Great Energy.
Some researches say that these cultural elements come from Ainu people, which later, in Japanese history, have moved to Hokkaido. As the deities were nature?s forces or energies, were also related to forest and mountains, and that?s why we can find a few legends telling about the transmissions of war knowledge to men. The most famous is about Karassu Tengu and Shojobu or Sojobu Tengu. The first one is responsible to connect men to other deities, as a communicator. The second one is the owner of wisdom, and in some paintings this Tengu appears holding rolled up documents, just as you can find as Makimono - contenting all secrets of a lineage or knowledge. Some others says that these rolled up documents are related to Tora. As each one has a specific aspect that identify them, Karassu Tengu, by an other Tengu magic power ? Sussunda Tengu -, as punishment, was transformed and condemned into a crow?s form, and that?s why we see his figure like that in registers of this kind of culture. Shojobu Tengu, as symbolize the wisdom, is old and has a big nose. Most of people knows only these two Tengu, but in reality, their many.
The harvest and hunter Tengu is known as Tateru Tengu, and his is the bow. There?s a legend that tells how the bow became also a weapon of Senso Tengu or Tengu of War, as a gift from Tateru Tengu. The UraYumi comes from religious ceremonies related to Tateru Tengu. Some says that this people used to invert the bow in the Tateru ceremony to keep away demons that could bring the plague to the harvests, in which their survivor depended on, as a way of invert the bad energy that could come to the fields. As the bow became also a Senso Tengu?s weapon, the UraYumi was also present in ceremonies related to war periods, to bring protection against the enemy, and in some other aspects as a way of the gods recognize the warrior when invited to the battlefield.
As E-Bunto in imbued in mystics aspects, Japanese people started to fear this forest religious and Tengu was named as nature?s demons, as the forest was feared too. Just like Robin Hood?s forest, surrounded by myths. The difference was that in Japanese culture, in old times, we could find also other mystics religious as Shinto, and the country was a many gods? land, each religious with their own legends and superstitions, which collaborated to spread the Tengu fame as a bad demons that used to eat children ? the same aspect related to witches in Europe and North America.
Nowadays, we can find Tengu masks in N? theatre as a personage, always illustrated in red color and big nose. And commonly the knowledge about Tengu?s culture resumes itself to Karassu and Shojobu Tengu, due to art martial histories and its transmission, as the sword art.
Best regards,
Touran"
Hi Jhoneil,
INCREDIBLE !!!!!!!
Please, don?t do this !!!!!!!
IT?S DANGEROUS !!!!!!!
Would be like string a reflexbow from the wrong side !!!!!!!!
Nobody in Japan or somewhere will do this !!!!!!!!
Even Mythology or something else...................................
In shock
Peter
INCREDIBLE !!!!!!!
Please, don?t do this !!!!!!!
IT?S DANGEROUS !!!!!!!
Would be like string a reflexbow from the wrong side !!!!!!!!
Nobody in Japan or somewhere will do this !!!!!!!!
Even Mythology or something else...................................
In shock
Peter
That is what I figured. The bows in the video are probably carbon or fiberglass and can take the punishment.
Soo the simple explanation would be that these guys are actors and has no clue as to what they are doing?
Soo the simple explanation would be that these guys are actors and has no clue as to what they are doing?
Jhoneil,
Sorry for my short message,
but: in this video everthing is wrong!
The bow you are right! If you do this with a bamboo-Yumi, it will break at the first draw!
2. the guy bends the sleeves of his kimono like a woman does in Kyudo, the woman not!
3. the arrows are not genuine japanese!
3. the form the guy does (not really) is KOSHI YA (the hiparrow), a battlefield form!
I think if any of serious doing Kyudoka see this video, ............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil:
So, please everybody, this is COMPLETE WRONG!
Let me know, if you have questions about this.
Peter
Sorry for my short message,
but: in this video everthing is wrong!
The bow you are right! If you do this with a bamboo-Yumi, it will break at the first draw!
2. the guy bends the sleeves of his kimono like a woman does in Kyudo, the woman not!
3. the arrows are not genuine japanese!
3. the form the guy does (not really) is KOSHI YA (the hiparrow), a battlefield form!
I think if any of serious doing Kyudoka see this video, ............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil:
So, please everybody, this is COMPLETE WRONG!
Let me know, if you have questions about this.
Peter