Yumi

Timeline

1. c. 1000–1185Kyoto · KyotoIn the Heian period, samurai took mounted archery as their foremost martial art, and the yumi developed alongside training forms like mounted pursuit and yabusame. The bow used a laminated bamboo-and-wood structure with a lower grip to suit mounted shooting angles, and shooting technique emphasized speed and rapid fire.
2. 1185–1220Kamakura · KamakuraThe Kamakura shogunate wrote mounted archery military service into gokenin obligations, and the yumi became standard equipment for campaigns. The shogunate once established an archery examination system, requiring gokenin to regularly demonstrate archery skill to maintain their military service qualification. At this time kyūdō schools began to differentiate, with mounted and foot archery techniques coexisting.
3. c. 1220–1600Japan · JapanWith the Nanboku-chō wars and the rise of infantry tactics in the Sengoku period, foot archery and volley fire with the yumi grew in importance in field battles. Schools (such as shooting methods and bow construction) diversified and transmitted, but the yumi's form remained basically stable. After firearms became widespread, the yumi's battlefield status declined, moving into martial arts and traditional ceremonial domains.