# Ninja Bow & Arrow as weapon?



## amishman (Sep 13, 2007)

Curious if #1, the Bow & Arrow was a weapon of the Ninja.  #2, does Bujinkan training ever train in use of this weapon. #3, is there anyplace that sells the style of Bow & Arrow the Ninja trainer would use.

Thanks in advance.

If there are any web sites that explain the Ninja and use of the Bow & Arrow, I would appreciate the link.

tj


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## newtothe dark (Sep 13, 2007)

I know it is shown and explained in Hatsumi Soke's book Nijutsu history and tradition has a whole section on it.


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## Bigshadow (Sep 13, 2007)

Why not just take Kyudo classes?


I speculate they were used a time or two
Not that I have seen, thus far.
What style would that be?


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## Brian R. VanCise (Sep 13, 2007)

Bigshadow said:


> Why not just take Kyudo classes?
> 
> I speculate they were used a time or two
> Not that I have seen, thus far.
> What style would that be?


 
Kyudo lessons would be a good place to start.  There are more than several people within the Bujinkan that I have met that train in Kyudo.  Likewise many people also train in some Iaido as well.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 13, 2007)

Find a local archery shop, or sporting goods shop that sells archery equipment.  Talk to someone knowledgeable about archery and equipment.  Buy something economical but of good quality, get some lessons if necessary, find a safe and legal place to practice, and shoot away.

I suggest you stay away from compound bows.  Get a good long bow or recurve and shoot with that.  It's a more natural, instinct method, whereas the compound bows can be outfitted with all kinds of sights and counterbalances and whatnot that make them very accurate, but they become more like an arrow launching machine, and less like traditional archery.

Historically, many many (most) cultures around the world had archery of some kind or other.  There were differences between them, but the similarties are probably greater.  So if this isn't "ninja style" archery, it is still simple, traditional, instinct shooting archery, and it's a good and fun thing to do.  So go ahead and add it to your repertoire.


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## Bigshadow (Sep 14, 2007)

Flying Crane said:


> Find a local archery shop, or sporting goods shop that sells archery equipment.  Talk to someone knowledgeable about archery and equipment.  Buy something economical but of good quality, get some lessons if necessary, find a safe and legal place to practice, and shoot away.




That was what I was thinking as well.  Kyudo lessons would be fun, however, what you said is a good place to start to "learn" how to shoot a bow.  I am fairly certain that across the world, the basics of shooting a bow are pretty universal.  I agree the similarities probably outweigh the differences.

Just my opinion.


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## ryuu (Sep 29, 2007)

was the bow and arrow a weapon of the ninja? personally, I don't think so. How would a bow and arrow be easily "carryable" on the body? (note that I am talking about the "ninja" here, as opposed to "the samurai")


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## Kreth (Sep 29, 2007)

ryuu said:


> (note that I am talking about the "ninja" here, as opposed to "the samurai")


Except the two terms are not necessarily exclusive...


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## newtothe dark (Sep 29, 2007)

In ninijutsu history and tradition Soke shows a very small bow that collapses into a tube for carrying also arrows made from reeds and such.


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## benkyoka (Sep 29, 2007)

ryuu said:


> How would a bow and arrow be easily "carryable" on the body? (note that I am talking about the "ninja" here, as opposed to "the samurai")



millions of samurai carried them all over japan fighting wars.  I imagine they are easily carried.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 29, 2007)

I think the image of the ninja creeping around in the dark with 73 different deadly weapons secreted about his body is a bit of a myth.  

While I know nothing about historical ninja and Bujinkan arts, I imagine the "ninja" of history used the bow and arrow.  It was a weapon/tool of the time, so I am sure they put it to use just like everyone else did...


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## rattie (Jun 6, 2019)

Ninja absolutely used bows and arrows! Theybwere usually deliberately made smaller in order to be easier for transporting/hiding, but there's a pretty famous story of a group of ninja who fired a volley of arrows at a castle to trick the defenders into putting out their lights and give the ninja an advantage. While the idea of ninja running around armed to the teeth is a myth(one writing says a ninja must be careful not to be overburdened with tools, instead using a single tool for as many purposes as possible), bows were definitely part of their arsenal!


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## Hakkan Mordrake (Feb 15, 2021)

The only time that a ninja would use a bow is if he's doing a samurai job.. because, as a ninja, he was most likely also a part of the samurai social class.


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