The bow has been an integral part of martial arts training even before the sword was introduced to the ancient Japanese samurai. Learning how to use a bow effectively while riding horseback, known as “The Way of the Horse and Bow”, was part of the Japanese martial arts training for years. As with many facets of Japan’s culture, they borrowed this concept from the Mongolian culture and improved upon it.

Using the bow in Japanese classical fighting arts is more ritualistic, rather than a practical part of martial arts training. The bow’s use didn’t begin that way, though. Between 300 BC and 300 AD, the Japanese bow was introduced to Japanese martial art practitioners. It was different from the European version in that the handgrip of the Japanese-style bow is not symmetrical to the apparatus, rather, the handgrip is located halfway between the bow’s tips.

Up until the 4th Century, archers were considered infantry and traveled on foot. It wasn’t until much later, during the 10th Century, that the bowmen took to horseback and martial arts training in the bow became an elite sport of the samurai. From 1192 to 1334, the Kamukura Period, archery on horseback was used as a part of the samurai’s martial arts training to keep them in shape during peacetime.

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