heating bamboo, Miyakonojō longbow

The Miyakonojō longbow is roughly made up of the bow (outer part and inner part), the core and seki’ita (end-plates onto which the end loops of the bowstring are attached). The bow and the core are individually created.
Making the core.
Step 1: cutting out the bamboo.
Step 2: drying (approx. 5 months).
Step 3: removing oil content from the bamboo.
Step 4: combining .
Step 5: heating and shaving the bow .