II.
THE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS
1 - The Shooting Arms
D. Pedestrian Archery
Bộ-Xạ
步射
The Bow Shooting on Foot Fighting
At the Period of « Spring-Autumn - 春 秋 時 代» (722-481 BC), the celebrious archer from kingdom of SỞ (Chu 楚) called Dưỡng Do Cơ (Yang Youji 養由基) (606 BC ~ 559 BC) and lived under Dynasty of Sở Trang Vương Chu Zhuang Wang 楚 莊 王 (death in the year of 591 BC). The reputation of Dưỡng Do Cơ had been linked to the anecdote of the archery tournament between him and another archer named Phan Hổ (Pan Hu 潘 虎). When Yang’s turn came to shoot, he complained that the target was both too large and too near. He agreed to take his turn after substituting the target for a willow leaf and lengthening the distance to 100 paces. He naturally won the competition hands down.
Phan Hổ didn't accept to submitting, considering that this was due to the lucky. Phan Hổ painted three willow leaves with ink of various colours. Dưỡng Do Cơ hit again with his arrows all three willow leaves.
Although Phan Hổ accepted to giving in, he still wanted demonstrate his talents ; he took 7 armours that he stacked up them, then he passed right through all of his arrow. Dưỡng Do Cơ asked him for letting him try again to shoot at his turn, and his arrow hit the nock from Phan Hổ's arrow, pushing away this one into other side, while his arrow replaced this let empty space.
At this moment, Phan Hổ accepted to submitting to Dưỡng Do Cơ, that soldiers of SỞ hailed this last one under the name of « Dưỡng with an Unique Arrow - Dưỡng Nhất Tiễn ».
The two expressions « Bách Bộ Xuyên Dương » (Bai Bu Chuan Yang 百 步 穿 楊) (Shoot an Arrow through a Willow Leaf at a Hundred Feet) and « Bách Phát Bách Trúng » (Bai Fa Bai Zhong 百 發 百 中) (a hundred shots, a hundred bull’s eyes) that originate from this story of archery competiton between Phan-Hổ and Dưỡng Do Cơ at the the Period of « Spring-Autumn - 春 秋 時 代» (722-481 BC), make shooting at willow (Xạ Liễu - sheliu) synonymous with striving constantly to improve skills.
I - Various Ways for Bending a Bow :
There's in the world five ways for bending a Bow and releasing Arrows.
Professor Edward S. Morse had classified them as follow :
1 - Primary Release ;
2 - Secondary Release ;
3 - Tertiary Release ;
4 - Mediterranean Release ;
5 - Mongolian Release (i.e. : Release by means of Thumb's Ring - Chỉ-Cơ Thỉ-Cách - 指 機 弛 格).
Five ways for releasing Arrows according to Professor Edward S. Morse (1885)
In Việt-Nam, there's four among five ways mentioned previously for bending a Bow and releasing Arrows, with the exception of the one Mediterranean, which is currently used in Olympic Games, preconized by Europeans.
II - Archer's Rings (Chỉ-Cơ - 指 機) :
As regards the War Bow of Việt people, like about the one of all Near-East and Far-East peoples, the Release with an Archer's Ring is generally used, i.e.: Release by means of Thumb's Ring (Chỉ-Cơ Thỉ-Cách - 指 機 弛 格).
Archer's Rings (Chỉ-Cơ 指 機) from India
(Credit Photo : George Cameron Stone)
Archer's Rings (Chỉ-Cơ 指 機) from China
(Credit Photo : George Cameron Stone)
Archer's Rings (Chỉ-Cơ 指 機) from Đại-Việt
(Credit Photo : George Cameron Stone)
This Release by using Thumb's Ring consists in bending the String with the thumb wearing the Archer's Ring, locked by one's index finger, sometimes helped by one's middle finger and one's annular. This way to hold the String permit to bend Bows shorter and much more powerful than with Mediterranean Release.
Release by means of Thumb's Ring
(Chỉ-Cơ Thỉ-Cách - 指 機 弛 格)
Bibliography
:
- “A Glossary of The Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times” by George Cameron Stone - Jack Brussel, Publisher (New York).
III - The Codified Sequences of Đại-Việt Archerie (大 越 弓 術 草 法) :
In nowadays , it exists three Codified Sequences in Đại-Việt Archery still preserved : there are « Bow with Metal Frame - Thiết-Thai Cung» ( 鐵 胎 弓 ), « Bow which QUakes the Sky - Chấn-Thiên Cung» ( 震 天 弓 ) and « Bow which Fires Piercing Arows - Xuyên Tiễn Cung» ( 穿 弓 箭) Codified Sequences.
The Codified Sequence of
« Bow with Metal Frame »
« Thiết Thai Cung »
鐵 胎 弓
Assistant-Master Nguyễn Phi-Hổ was demonstrating the lunge :
« Nhứt Hành Xạ Tiển Tiên Y Thế » in Codified Sequence of
« Bow with Metal Frame - Thiết-Thai Cung ».
(On the Picture the Composite Recurve Bow is provisionnaly used)
The Codified Sequence of « Bow with Metal Frame - Thiết-Thai Cung » ( 鐵 胎 弓 ) is the famous Sequence in Traditional Martial Arts of Bình-Định, as a prelude to training session for Martial Pedestrian Archery, with techniques noted down throughout a Coded Poem of 15 lines of verse (93 words).
In this Traditional Archery Codified Sequence, the archer shoots Three Arrows in the same Western direction.
It's a celebrious Archery Codified Sequence, taking the famous Bow's name of illustrious Generalisimo NGUYỄN-Quang-Huy, under the TÂY-SƠN Dynasty (1778-1802 AD), passed on to the posterity by the late Master TRÀN-Quang-Diễn from Xả-Đàng NGUỴỆN School System of Grand Master HÀ-Hân.
The Codified Sequence of
« Bow which Quakes the Sky »
« Chấn Thiên Cung »
震 天 弓
Assistant-Master Nguyễn Phi-Hổ was demonstrating the lunge :
« Trung-Môn Xạ Tiển » in Codified Sequence of
« Bow which Quakes the Sky - Chấn Thiên Cung ».
The Codified Sequence of « Bow which Quakes the Sky - Chấn-Thiên Cung » ( 穿 弓 箭 ), is a prestigious Codified Sequence of Bình-Định Traditional Martial Arts owning 17 Coded Lines of Verse (68 words) codifying On Foot Archery Techniques using as a Ceremonial Prelude to Equestrian Archery demonstratin.
In this Medieval Archery Codified Sequence, the archer shoots Five Arrows :
- Four Arrows in Four directions of Cardinal Points ;
- One blunt Arrow towards the Divine Sky.
It's a rare and precious Codified Sequence of Pedestrian Archery from Đại-Việt Battlefieds Martial Arts, oriented according to the Eight Trigrams of Posterior-Sky from King Wen, belonging to the School System of the late Grand-Master Khiển-PHẠN and the late Grand-Master Khiển-THI, whom current sussessor is the Grand Master Ba Phong.
The Codified Sequence of
« Bow which Fires Piercing Arrows »
« Xuyên Tiển Cung »
穿 箭 弓
Assistant-Master Nguyễn Phi-Hổ was demonstrating the lunge :
« Nam An Bắc Phạt » in Codified Sequence of
« Bow which Fires Piercing Arrows - Xuyên Tiển Cung ».
The Codified Sequence of « Bow which Fires Piercing Arrows - Xuyên Tiển Cung » ( 穿 箭 弓 ), is a rare and precious Codified Sequence owning 16 Coded Lines of Verse (64 words) codifying On Foot Archery Techniques and On Horseback Archery Techniques.
In this Medieval Archery Codified Sequence, oriented according to Eight Trigrams of Anterior-Sky from Fu-Hi. The archer shoots Four Arrows, by avoiding to shoot in the Southern Direction (corresponding to Trigram CÀN or KIỀN, i.e. the Divine Sky ) :
- Two Arrows in the Western Direction ;
- One Arrow in the Eastern Direction ;
- One Arrow in the Northern Direction.
This is a rare and precious Codified Sequence of Archery from Đại-Việt Medieval Martial Arts, belonging to the School System of Grand-Master Founder Phạm-Tường, who had passed on it to the late Grand Master PHẠM-Hiếu and the late Grand Master LÊ-Hải, whom current successor is the Grand Master PHẠM-Thi.
Committee of TRỊNH Quang Thắng. |
Return to Page ARCHERY |
Return to Page PICTURES |
|---|
Return to Page MEDIEVAL ARCHERY |
Return to Page DISCUSSION |
|---|
Copyright © 2004 - 2017 by ACFDV - All rights reserved.
