Medieval Japanese Archery

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

1. Preferred materials for them to make their longbow 'Yumi'
2. Did they also uses crossbows too? the term 'ishiyumi' also appears as an alternate (native) readings of the 弩 (Crossbow), does it also means crossbows too? since Yumi means bow in their words.
And who in Japan uses crossbows? are these weapons amongs forbidden weapons and considered unchivalrious?
3. Did Samurais also practices archery? did they train to also deal with crossbowmen of any kind? (particularly against Koreans or Chinese, whom were the first to make and use these weapons) did Samurai archers superior to these peasant crossbowmen? did Hojo Tokimune's Samurai defenders did fight crossbowmen before? (or did Mongolian invaders use crossbows as well as bomb-hurling trebuchets?)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/弩

 

[JohannaK]

I have no idea about crossbows, but yes samurai practiced archery as much or more as they might have practice fencing.

 

[r16]

supposedly the swords became only a thing after the unification of the country , as a status symbol and a figure of authority , instead of warmaking .

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

supposedly the swords became only a thing after the unification of the country , as a status symbol and a figure of authority , instead of warmaking .

That's the reasons why firearms development ceased in Japan after the Unification. and it more or less associated with demobilizations where Samurais became civil servants as well as constable maybe.

But it didn't explain the existence (or lack of) of crossbows in old Japan.

 

[r16]

sorry can't be much of an help when it needs actually historical answers . As for katanas gaining currency , ı have seen stuff that say they were much less useful when the contest could be decided by long range arrow fire , pretty much the same elsewhere . ı don't remember any TV news where some dignitary visited Japan and they were given a Show of swordplay ; insted horse mounted guy with the curious bow , short underside / far longer above the hand .

 

[Traitorfish]

According to r/AskHistorians,

Compared to the Chinese, the Japanese would have had logistical problems in producing crossbows. The main difficulty would have been one of readily available materials - the same limited choices of construction materials that determined the development of the distinctive Japanese longbow would have complicated the design and manufacture of hand-crossbows as well.

The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were generally composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue, constructed in much the same manner as a steppe bow. But, as a mountainous country without the ready access to the steppe "enjoyed" by the Chinese, the Japanese supplies of animal products were scantier and as a result they fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood-and-bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical: not merely extraordinarily wide and not readily usable by troops standing in close ranks but also extraordinarily long, as it would have been necessary to lengthen the stock, to permit a sufficient draw. Crossbows made with short wood, or wood-and-bamboo bow staves would have been considerably weaker, and more prone to breaking or delaminating, than the regular bows already in use.

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

Is that the reasons why crossbows were not made in Japan nor see any use there AT ALL? (And 'no hunting' bans too?)
So with that. Archery is well practiced and perfected and it's not what rank&file Ashigaru have access to? (since most of them are peasantry rather than warrior 'samurai' caste)