Gakgung

The reflex bow had been the most important weapon for Koreans in wars with Chinese dynasties and nomadic peoples, recorded from the 1st century BC.^[3] Legend says the first king and founder of the Goguryeo, Go Jumong, was a master of archery, able to catch five flies with one arrow. Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of the Silla, was also said to be a skilled archer. The ancient Chinese gave the people of the East (Shandong Peninsula, Huai river basin, Jianghuai, Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula, Japanese archipelago, and eastern Siberia) the name of Dongyi (東夷) being a combination of the two characters for "large" (大) and "bow" (弓). However, it also need to be noted that the term was widely applied by the Chinese to note any foreign tribes in the east associated with large bows.

Yi Sŏng-gye, the founding king of Joseon was known to have been a master archer. In a battle against Japanese pirates, Sŏng-gye, assisted by Yi Bangsil, killed the young samurai commander "Agibaldo" with two successive arrows, one arrow knocking out his helmet, with the second arrow entering his mouth. In his letter to General Ch'oe Yŏng, Sŏng-gye lists as one of five reasons not to invade Ming China as during the monsoon season, glue holding together the composite bow weakens, reducing the effectiveness of the bow.

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 Imjin wars, archery was the main long-range weapon system. During those wars, the tactical superiority of the matchlock-ignited arquebus became apparent, despite its slow rate of fire and susceptibility to wet weather.^[4] However, it was the gakgung, referred to as the "half bow" by the Japanese, that halted the Japanese at the Battle of Haengju as well as at the Battle of Ulsan. Although Joseon adopted the arquebus during the Imjin War, the gakgung retained its position of importance in the military until the reforms of 1894. Under King Hyojong's military reforms, an attempt was made to revive horse archery as a significant element of the military. It was also practiced for pleasure and for health, and many young males — including the king — and some females would spend their free time practicing it.

In 1899, the visiting Prince Heinrich of Prussia expressed his astonishment to Emperor Gojong at a traditional archery demonstration. The Prince, hailing from a militarized Prussian culture, sought out demonstrations of Korean martial arts, and Archery was the most impressive among the arts demonstrated. He was familiar with Turkish and Hungarian Archery of Europe, which were similar to Korean Archery. Prince Heinrich suggested making the art into a national sport. The emperor, convinced by the Prince, decreed "let people enjoy archery to develop their physical strength" and established an archery club. In the subsequent standardization of Korean archery, the nature of the bow and the arrow was standardized, as was the range of the targets. Korean traditional archery now uses one specific type of composite bow, bamboo arrows, and a standard target at a standard distance of 120 bo (about 145 m or 160 yards). Korean Archery as a sport developed under the Japanese Occupation, its textbook, "Joseon eui Goongdo" being published in 1920.

Tradition says that a noted general of the Joseon Dynasty settled in Yecheon about 300 years ago, and handed down his expertise and knowledge. "Today, it is estimated that bowyers from Yecheon and its environs produce approximately 70% of Korea's traditional horn composite bows ...Yecheon has produced numerous Olympic medalists and world champion archers". The city has the Jinho International Archery Field.^[5]

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 (approximately 44 pounds). A modern version is made of laminated fiberglass; 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 small but very powerful bows. A sukgung can shoot up to 400 m (440 yards) while a Gak-gung can shoot up to 350 m (380 yards).^{[citation needed]}

The art of constructing traditional Korean bows was designated an important Intangible Cultural Property in 1971.^[7]

• Chinese bow
• Composite bow
• Japanese bow
• Mongol bow
• Turkish archery
• Pyeonjeon
• Singijeon
• Kwon Museok - gakgung artisan and Korean intangible cultural asset

• Korean Traditional Archery. Duvernay TA, Duvernay NY. Handong Global University, 2007.

• Korean Traditional Archery
• The Way of the Bow
• Korean Archery News (Korean)