Topic: Korean war bow
Here are some pictures of Korean war bow in Museum, Paris.
As you can see here, the siyah is different, and the limb is not just flat, like current Korean bows. The middle limbs are the widest, about 4.2cm.
1 2015-11-06 00:13:33 (edited by joomong 2015-11-06 00:14:23)
2 2015-11-06 07:12:40 (edited by Pedro C 2017-03-22 09:27:27)
Re: Korean war bow
Cool, I imagine it could be used with medium(medium-light?) to heavy arrows?
Any idea what the string material is? [edit: it's most likely silk. apparently 3-ply twisted.. ...)
That's a hell of a lot of reflex. Would be great to see one strung and drawn
Re: Korean war bow
Pedro C wrote:
Cool, I imagine it could be used with medium(medium-light?) to heavy arrows?
Any idea what the string material is?
That's a hell of a lot of reflex. Would be great to see one strung and drawn
I want to see it strung too. I do not know what is the material of string. Back in the day, archers shot over 100lbs bows so I guess arrows must be at least medium to heavy arrows.
Re: Korean war bow
What a monster! In another thread people seem very dismissive of the idea that bows certainly developed down through the ages. Maybe these siyahs served a similar purpose to the Manchu type bow of recent past? That would indicate long, heavy arrows and perhaps shooting afoot. After the advent of firearms the bow was mainly used for rapid fire short distance combat so who knows how old this is?
Re: Korean war bow
Because it's wider, and has heavier siyahs compare to modern Korean target bows, the war bow's shooting distance might be shorter, and might be slower too. However, it's more stable, will not twist easily, and shoot heavier arrows.
6 2016-10-19 13:28:36 (edited by Pedro C 2016-10-19 23:16:32)
Re: Korean war bow
can't read Korean
http://egloos.zum.com/sosohi/v/10712953
http://egloos.zum.com/sosohi/v/11076378
http://www.archerynews.net/news/view.as … p;idx=1150
Wow, quite monstruous. Wonder how long it is, draw weight and how long it'd be drawn..
Narrowing limbs & kasan, horn ending in middle or maybe even before kasan, looks like great design. So much reflex in the bending limbs though... not much reflex at kasan eye?..
Seems like it could have more problems with twist than the Turkish/Tatar bows, dunno. But it also seems like it would be both very fast and store lots of energy
7 2017-03-22 09:22:58 (edited by Pedro C 2017-03-22 11:03:12)
Re: Korean war bow
The hornbowyer Jj Weißnicht did this reproduction of that bow, 60#@32". He estimated the original bow's draw weight at around 100#.
Re: Korean war bow
So I understand that this is the 'actual' Korean war bow but what time time frame was it used in? Joseon era? Goryeo? etc.
Also, I believe the gakgung typically sold today was standardized more around 1500 AD if not mistaken? But in actuality its more of a flight bow rather than one used in combat? Or was it used in combat?
So many questions....
Re: Korean war bow
geoarcher wrote:
So I understand that this is the 'actual' Korean war bow but what time time frame was it used in? Joseon era? Goryeo? etc.
Also, I believe the gakgung typically sold today was standardized more around 1500 AD if not mistaken? But in actuality its more of a flight bow rather than one used in combat? Or was it used in combat?
So many questions....
bluelake, any thoughts on this?
- ragnar
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Re: Korean war bow
geoarcher wrote:
But in actuality its more of a flight bow rather than one used in combat?
Did Koreans engage in a kind of flight shooting at that time, comparable to Ottomans ?
Or was it just comparatively speaking ?
Re: Korean war bow
ragnar wrote:
Did Koreans engage in a kind of flight shooting at that time, comparable to Ottomans ?
Or was it just comparatively speaking ?
Not sure. That's also why I'm trying to figure out the time frame of the war bow's use. If its Joseon era then it was likely used up until the time archery for combat becomes obsolete. Therefore the logic, the way I see it, is 'if that's the war bow proper then what we typically see today is/was not'. And had a different use/purpose. Flight shooting is something that seems to exist in older times so long as you have a noblitiy/upper-class that wanted something leisurely to do. And that's really I can say about that.
I will reiterate though that I am ultimately not sure and clarification is much needed here.
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Re: Korean war bow
Yes, would be nice if someone knowledgable could shed some light on it.
Flight shooting is something that seems to exist in older times so long as you have a noblitiy/upper-class that wanted something leisurely to do.
Except for the Ottomans, I know no other culture that engaged in flight shooting. And considering that fact that archery was and is about hitting a target, the archery-related recreational pursuits reflected that. Most competitions were rather precision related. And arrow weights below 200 grain don't imply any military significance.
But the fact remains, the traditional Korean bow is one of the very few historical designs that allow for such an endeavor with similar results, and without breaking at this tiny gpp ratios.
Unfortunately I depend on translations for historical research - the fundamentally different language/script provide a high entrance barrier ...
14 2019-04-30 20:48:44 (edited by geoarcher 2019-04-30 21:02:24)
Re: Korean war bow
Anyway, so I did my own poking around and according to this reputable bowyer who is making one of these Korean war bows, they are in fact Joseon era:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set … mp;__xts__[0]=68.ARBuPssKd8i3nglSx2-TQR5nUyLzQ-3uqaiftyRMu_RPQwHWTvW_ZiIyk6hBG_t1oSo4jHFuvXi6ZfaRN8UVKlVainvewd_SrxV9VjHUhBep8Jzz5u5ajOzbQ8RnNczt9MRcORomdZtTsCNDB1g8KdtUAcS_4zvACxXpvdb1v3e-oFVCU6lDovmA6qgbQ17jYL_vdrRmIsQPAXWgfTKckrdY-bj-JEjIo43S-KvWK8CTKEWRD2_OIwm-SaggYgK7CAM-95U9-npeptpFIpvccQYanCxP16J9XDFUjDpA672jimm3xmkw44BZ2q7tZtbjV5iFW9AR8jnvGlsZd9P5KSfuu10CZ-C29hSr7rhPi73-7QWk38iEW-CUW0-5MTLSSZaUGQtBr9qLsYqvY3cyy0X36-D5cT7AulOOFP4vBoF3DwQgK4zi_oZmNiSyzZXV8E-3IZ_dMhNJN57BwNKA&__tn__=HH-R
Which I kinda suspected anyway.....
+1
- ragnar
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Re: Korean war bow
Higher preload, and higher power at less mass weight.
Traditional turkish/ottoman bows are very similar in this regard.
Re: Korean war bow
On a side note, Koreans do apparently practice a type of flight shooting. Except its known as 'far shooting' in the language: 멀리 쏘기. Usually done on long sandy beaches.
Footage: http://blog.daum.net/woo-139/257