Gakgung
Gakgung | |
Korean name | |
---|---|
Hangul | 각궁 |
Hanja | 角弓 |
Revised Romanization | Gakgung |
McCune–Reischauer | Kakkung |
alternative name | |
Hangul | 국궁 |
Hanja | 國弓 |
Revised Romanization | Guggung |
McCune–Reischauer | Kukkung |
Korean archery | |
Hangul | 궁술 |
Hanja | 弓術 |
Revised Romanization | Gungsul |
McCune–Reischauer | Kungsul |
The Korean Bow (
Gungsul,
, is another epithet for traditional Korean archery, as used by Koreans.History of military origin and usage
The
The founding of Joseon dynasty saw the retention of the composite bow as the mainstay of the Joseon military. Archery was the main martial event tested during the military portion of the national service exam held annually from 1392 to 1894. Under Joseon, archery reached its zenith, resulting in the invention of pyeonjeon, which saw great service against the Japanese in 1592 and against the Manchus in early 1600s.
Until the
Transition to recreational sport
In 1899, the visiting
Tradition says that a noted general of the
Construction and competition
The Gakgung is a highly reflexed version of the classic Eurasian composite bow. The core is bamboo with sinew backed to prevent the bow breaking and to add a pulling strength to the limbs, with oak at the handle. On the belly is water buffalo horn which significantly increases the power by pushing the limbs. This combination of horn which pushes from the belly and sinew that pulls from the back is the defining strength of the bow. The siyahs, the stiffened outer ends of the limbs, are made of either mulberry or black locust and V-spliced onto the bamboo. The glue is made from isinglass. Over the sinew backing is a special birch bark that is imported from Northeast China. It is soaked in sea water for about one year. It is applied to the back using diluted rubber cement (using benzene as the solvent). No sights or other modern attachments are used.
The draw weights vary, but most are above twenty kilograms. The cost for this type of bow is in the US$800 range. For a similar modern version made of laminated fiberglass, the cost is US$200–300. For most competitions, either bow may be used, with carbon-fiber arrows, but for national competitions, only the composite bow and bamboo arrows may be used. Korean archers have also been very successful in Olympic and other competitions with more modern types of bow.[6]
The sukgung, a kind of crossbow, and the Gak-gung are a small but very powerful bow. A sukgung can shoot up to 400 m (440 yards) while a Gak-gung can shoot up to 350 m (380 yards). <The record in 2011 was a record of flying about 428.8m using a pyeonjeon with a 57-pound modern improved Gak-gung.>[1]
The art of constructing traditional Korean bows was designated an
See also
- Chinese bow
- Composite bow
- Japanese bow
- Mongol bow
- Turkish archery
- Pyeonjeon
- Singijeon
- Kwon Museok - gakgung artisan and Korean intangible cultural asset
References
- ^ "Korean Bow – an ancient tool reborn in modern times".
- ^ http://www.koreanarchery.org/classic/thumbrng.html
- ^ Korean Traditional Archery
- ^ Korean Traditional Archery. Duvernay TA, Duvernay NY. Handong Global University, 2007
- ISSN 2158-043X. Spring 2018. Pages 30-34.
- ^ "South sweep". Sports Illustrated. 2000-09-28. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ "Gungsi". UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre. Retrieved 8 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
Further reading
- Korean Traditional Archery. Duvernay TA, Duvernay NY. Handong Global University, 2007.