is a type of Japanese arrow used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kabura-ya were arrows which whistled when shot and were used in ritual archery exchanges before formal medieval battles. Like a

Wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

, the sound was created by a specially carved or perforated bulb of deer horn or wood attached to the tip. In English, these are often called "whistling-bulb arrows", "messenger arrows", or "signal arrows." ''Kabura'' literally translates to "

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word ''turnip'' is a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a lathe and ...

", and thus the Japanese term technically means "turnip shapedarrows." The Chinese ''xiangjian'' (sometimes pronounced and written ''mingdi'') was quite similar, and until the end of the Warlord Era were commonly used by bandits to announce the gang's approach. In ''

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

'', the sound made by the ''Kabura-ya'' arrow in mid-flight is thought to ward-off evil influences, and, like the '' Hama Ya'', '' Hama Yumi'' and the ''

Azusa Yumi An is a sacred bow (''yumi'') used in certain Shinto rituals in Japan, as well as a Japanese musical bow, made from the wood of the Japanese or Japanese cherry birch tree (''Betula grossa''). Playing an ''azusa yumi'' forms part of some Shinto ...

'', it is used is ''Shinto'' cleansing rites of sites, shrine grounds, parks, etc.

Use

In battle, particularly around the time of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

, ''kabura-ya'' would be shot before a battle, to alert the enemy. The whistling sound was also believed to chase away evil spirits, and to alert friendly ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' to lend their support. It was not uncommon for archery exchanges to be performed for quite some time, and in the 1183

battle of Kurikara The , also known as the battle of Tonamiyama (砺波山), was a crucial engagement in Japan's Genpei War; in this battle the tide of the war turned in the favour of the Minamoto clan. "Yoshinaka won by a clever strategy; under cover of nightfa ...

, for example, fifteen arrows were shot by each side, then thirty, then fifty, then one hundred, before these hundred samurai on each side actually engaged one another in battle.Turnbull, Stephen (1987). 'Battles of the Samurai'. London: Arms and Armour Press. It was also not uncommon for messages to be tied to these arrows, which could be shot into fortresses, battle camps or the like. This practice of the formal archery exchange likely died out gradually following the end of the Heian period, as war became less and less ritualized. The arrows would also be sold at

Shintō shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

s as good luck charms, particularly around New Year's Day; simply carrying a ''kabura-ya'', like a ''Hama Ya'', is meant to serve as a ward against evil spirits.

References

Sources

*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. *Billingsley, Phil (1988). "Bandits in Republican China" Stanford University Press

External links

Archery Gallery
Samurai weapons and equipment Archery equipment of Japan Arrow types Amulets Talismans Shinto in Japan Exorcism in Shinto Shinto religious objects Magic items {{archery-stub

Use

See also

References

Sources

External links