The Miyakonojō longbow

The longbow has been produced in Miyakonojō since ancient times. Shōnai Chiri-shi (Geographic Records of Shōnai), the oldest surviving records on the region discusses the domain of Lord Shimazu of Miyakonojō at the time, between the Bunka/Bunseid era (1804-1830) and the Tenpō era (1830-1844) of the Edo period. It also includes the making of bows in the Shiwachi and Kanada districts of Miyakonojō, as well as describing how bow makers were also employed at the household of Lord Shimazu.　As demonstrated by these records, bow making flourished in Miyakonojō. Furhter development of the craft took off after Kusumi Yoshiharu relocated to Miyakonojō from Sendai in Kagoshima prefecture during the Meiji period in search of materials for making bows. He was the receiver of the license for bow finish (called “Hekiryū Yumi Mura no Shidai” in Japanese), and brought new techniques to Miyakonojō His son Kurakichi, in particular, not only trained many apprentices, but also extended sales to Formosa (Taiwan), Korea and Manchuria during early Shōwa period, thus establishing Miyakonojō as the production area of bows. After overcoming post-WWII slump, Miyakonojō became the production area that boasted nearly 30 bow-making establishments at its peak. Although the popularization of bows made out of glass fibre and other factors would later lead to the decrease in the number of bow makers, the Miyakonojō longbow was designated a national traditional craft in April 1994, helping to make Miyakonojō a characteristic place as the only production area of bamboo bows in Japan.

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 

Step 1: bonding of the bow and core

Step 2: pounding

Step 3: temporarily stringing the bow

Step 4: finishing

Step 5: wrapping the grip