Ku - Ainu Bow
Purchased in 1904 at Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Yew, cherry, vine
110 cm long
Cat. 88079
© The Field Museum
Ainu men did their hunting almost exclusively with bows like the one seen here. This particular bow was purchased in St. Louis in 1904 but it undoubtedly saw use in the wilderness of Hokkaido hunting deer, fox, and bear.
Ainu bows were constructed differently than bows used by the Japanese people to the south. Japanese bows were usually a composite of different woods, all supplying their own rate of spring. Ainu bows, like the one to the right, were usually made out of a single piece of yew or linden wood. These types of trees were plentiful in northern Japan and eastern Russia. The strings were made from twisted wisteria vine and strengthened by a soak in fish oil. As can be seen, some were strengthened with strips of wrapped cherry bark.
Ainu children, at an early age, practiced with the bow and shot at targets and small game at close range. Mature hunters could reportedly hit a still deer at 200 yards accurately with a good bow. At the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, Sangyea (seen here), an Ainu man participating in one of the "living groups", competed in an "anthropological athletic meet". These meets would pit members from all of the visiting groups against each other in assorted competitions. Sangyea, using a bow similar to the one on the right, participated in an archery contest and won a ribbon for finishing in second place.
(Commentary by Stev Weidlich)