ARTISAN

Archery Craftsman
Yoo Young-ki Blends Strength
with Resiliency
From ancient times, Koreans have been called “Dongi,” meaning “a people of the east skilled in archery.”
During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), archery was a basic aspect of everyday life, of the king and his subjects,
which contributed to the development of one’s body and mind. Yoo Young-ki belongs to a family that
for five generations has been dedicated to the traditional craft of making arrows and bows.
Park Hyun Sook Freelance Writer | Seo Heun-kang Photographer

44 Koreana | Winter 2008


Traditional arrows made by
master craftsman Yoo Young-ki.
The background image is a depiction of
the mural painting of hunting scenes
in the Goguryeo (37 B.C.-668 A.D.)
period Muyongchong Tomb
(Tomb of Dancing Figures).
S
ince a work of art is a vessel through which an artisan can
express his soul and inner sentiments, it will naturally
reflect the maker’s character. The piercing eyes of Yoo
Young-ki, which seem capable of reading your mind, and his lean
build, are well suited to his craft of making traditional arrows and
bows. From early childhood, Yoo has been surrounded by archery
making, first helping out his father by fetching bamboo shafts
and pheasant feathers. And today, now in his 70s, he continues to
spend all his time around arrows and bows.
“When I was 15, the Korean War broke out, which forced us to
flee our home practically empty-handed. But my father insisted
on packing up and carrying his archery-making tools. I could not
understand why he did this, until I was older. To a master crafts-
man of arrows and bows, his tools are his life. Though I am now
past 70, I have yet to make an arrow that I’m completely satisfied
with. This thing called a bow, it is so easy to go too far with it, or
to not go far enough, unlike what the heart desires! I cannot stop
making arrows until I make one that perfectly satisfies me.”
Unity of Artisan and Archer
Yoo’s hometown in Gyeonggi-do Province has been famed
for its archery-making activities since the Joseon Dynasty. His
father Yoo Bok-sam operated the arrow-making shop that he had
inherited from his father, who was known as one of the foremost
fletchers of his time, supplying arrows to leading archery grounds
nationwide. As his reputation spread by word of mouth, people
from all around the country sought out his arrows.
“They say that quality goods come from quality materials.
But when it comes to arrows, there is another requirement: the
bowyer needs to know about the person who will use his bows.
He needs to meet the archer in person and take a good look at
his physique, the length and strength of his arms, and also his
character. The body of a bow should be tailored to an individual’s
particular characteristics. When a bow’s strength and weight are
in harmony with the archer, this will help to optimize his ability to
shoot more accurately. A bowyer cannot make a proper bow by
meeting the archer only once or twice; they must meet several
times so that the bowyer can become familiar with this individual.
Archers who fully enjoy life and the arts are prized customers.
They help me to refine my arrows and bows based on their valu-
able feedback, when handling a certain bow. There should be a
harmonious relationship between the artisan and the archer.”
The archers, who once gathered around Yoo’s workshop like
clouds in the sky, were his advisors and his friends as well, shar-
ing a mutual appreciation of each other’s expertise. Although in
lesser numbers than before, archers still come by to visit Yoo.
Their specific requests for bows with more strength, or with a
lighter weight, present Yoo with a wide array of challenges. But the
pleasure of resolving these tasks gives Yoo immense satisfaction.
In traditional Joseon society, archery was more than just a
martial arts form. Along with etiquette, music, horsemanship,
calligraphy, and mathematics, archery was among the Six Social
Graces featured in the Confucian doctrines, as a means to culti-
vate one’s body and mind. According to Mencius: “Being compas-
sionate is like shooting an arrow. Archery can be accomplished
only by disciplining yourself.”
The ancient Chinese text, Book of Rites , notes that the pur-
pose of archery is to nurture your emotional capability: “Since
long ago, archery has been considered a practice that involves
the recognition of virtue, which can only be acquired through the
heart. Therefore, a man of virtue practices archery in order to
preserve the soundness of his heart.” In Korea, with the origin of
archery dating back to the Paleolithic Age, it attained widespread
popularity during the Joseon Dynasty, when archery was enjoyed
by the king and commoners alike. Yoo recalls that, until the 1960s,
and the 1970s to a lesser extent, regular archery competitions
would be held at every village around the country.
Winter 2008 | Koreana 45
 “They say that an upright posture is required to strike your
target. An archer must straighten his body as well as his mind,
and combine the two to make an accurate shot. Nothing is better
than archery for the cultivation of your body and mind.
“I opened a museum to promote archery because interest
in the art has been dying off. Children come here to learn about
archery and some of them ask: ‘Can we find Jumong here?’ How
adorable and innocent children can be! Jumong, the renowned
archer and founder of ancient Goguryeo, might no longer be with
us, but our children are his descendants, which makes them all
Jumong. So, I tell them: ‘You are Jumong.’”
In May 2001, Yoo opened the Young Jip Bow & Arrow Museum,
which includes displays of about 200 arrows and bows, from the
East and the West. It also features a singijeon replica, a multiple-
launch artillery weapon from the Joseon period, which was capa-
ble of simultaneously firing off more than 100 arrows.
Uncompromising Dedication
Korea’s traditional arrows can be grouped into two catego-
ries: jukjeon, made from bamboo, and moksi, made with various
woods. During the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668), in the
northern area of the Korean Peninsula, wooden arrows were
made with bush clover, willow, and white birch. The bush clo-
ver arrows of Goguryeo were known to be highly effective. But
wooden arrows of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), were more dif-
ficult to produce and somewhat heavier, which limited their range,
versus bamboo arrows. These disadvantages led to a decline in
the popularity of wooden arrows from the early Joseon period,
after which traditional Korean arrows have been made primarily
from bamboo. Bamboo is durable yet flexible, enabling an archer
to maintain precise control of his grip and the arrow’s direction,
which makes it an ideal material for making arrows.
To make a traditional arrow, a time-consuming and tedious
handcrafted process is required. In late November, Yoo will spend
a month roaming about the country in search of the ideal bamboo
for making arrows. He dries the bamboo in the shade for about
seven weeks. After removing the skin from the bamboo stalks, he
1
dries the shafts over a charcoal fire. He smoothes out the surface
of the bamboo pieces, and then selects the most suitable shafts
for making arrows.
“I prefer bamboo that grows along the seaside, to bamboo
grown in the mountains. The best bamboo for arrows comes from
bamboo trees that are two years old. The bamboo must be of an
even thickness and the nodes must be free of chinks. The selected
bamboo pieces are cut into 90-centimeter shafts, which should
each include three segments of equal length. I have traveled every
corner of the country in search of high-quality bamboo, from
Gangwon-do Province to Jejudo Island.
“It seems that if I look over 100,000 bamboo trees, only 5,000
are suitable for making arrows. With orders for arrows that
needed to be made, but not enough suitable bamboo gathered up,
I would often wander about all day, searching for bamboo. Once
in the 1970s, when I was in my forties, I was mistaken for a North
Korean infiltrator, while combing through a bamboo grove along a
coastal area. Nevertheless, I never became tired or gave up look-
ing for suitable bamboo back then. When I descended a mountain
after a difficult yet successful search for good bamboo, I would
gaze at the sunset and briefly relax, while thinking that there was
nothing in the world for me to envy.”
After the bamboo has been prepared, the arrow is put
together with steel pieces, cow sinew, bush clover, fish glue, and
pheasant feathers. The individual parts are made separately in
the following order: the shaft, arrowhead, nock for the bowstring,
and feathers to improve the arrow’s true flight. The feathers from
a single pheasant are enough to make about three arrows. And
it takes much attention to boil fish bladders to produce the glue
for attaching the arrowheads. The assembled arrows need to be
planed by hand several times, to adjust the weight. Attaching the
arrowheads and polishing the arrows are simple enough, but with
a single arrow requiring over 130 steps for its proper completion,
three arrows are all that Yoo can manage to make, even when he
spends an entire day at his worktable.
Due to the prevalence of convenience and mass-production
in modern times, traditional bamboo arrows have been over-
1 Various arrow types, including signal
arrows that made a sound when shot,
short military arrows, fire arrows,
arrows for delivering messages,
and hunting arrows, along with
stringed implements, are exhibited at
the Young Jip Bows & Arrows
Museum, founded by Yoo Young-ki.
2 Final inspection of a completed arrow
 “I have devoted my entire life to making arrows,
but I am not good at shooting arrows. Nevertheless,
I have learned my life lessons from working
with arrows. They say a good archer needs to have
the posture of a dancer, together with flexibility
and self-control. I believe that is what
we should strive for in our lives as well.”
2
 1 After bamboo shafts are dried in the shade for a month, 2 Any protrusions are removed to assure a smooth surface.
they are heated over a charcoal fire and
straightened out.

3 Fish glue is applied to both ends of a bamboo shaft, 4 A pheasant feather is trimmed and attached
and covered with strips of cow-sinew to to the rear end of the shaft.
prevent cracking.

5 Based on the shaft’s weight and length, 6 The completed arrow is inspected for flaws,
a matching arrowhead is attached to the front end. and adjusted accordingly.

48 Koreana | Winter 2008

 Master craftsman Yoo Young-ki will test each of his arrows by shooting them himself.
whelmed by cheap, machine-made plastic arrows. Disheartened
by this trend, Yoo has sought to restore various types of traditional
arrows, in a personal campaign to spark public interest. He also
published a book on traditional arrows in 1977, which details the
variety of arrow types, production processes, techniques, materi-
als, and tools.
Examples of traditional arrows displayed at Yoo’s museum
include hyosi , a signal arrow that makes a sound when shot;
pyeonjeon , an arrow half the length of a regular arrow (30 cen-
timeters) that works with a bow-support device; hwajeon , a fire
arrow; sejeon, an arrow for sending a message; sejeon, for deliv-
ering the king’s orders; and jusal, a hunting arrow, with retrieval
string. In 1996, in recognition of his status as a master craftsman
of traditional arrows, Yoo was designated Important Intangible
Cultural Property No. 47, the first-ever honor of this kind for an
archery maker.
Five Generations of Archery
The harmony between strength and flexibility is a distinctive
characteristic of the traditional Korean bow. Bamboo, oak wood,
mulberry wood, water buffalo horn, and cow sinew strips are the
materials used to make a bow. The grip or hand-plate, and the
ends of a bow, are made from oak and mulberry, respectively,
while the bow’s center spine is made with bamboo, to provide
maximum flexibility and suppleness. Layers of water buffalo horn
and strips of cow sinew are attached to the bow with fish glue,
The crafting of a single arrow involves some 130 steps.
made from the bladder of croaker fish. Because the croaker fish
glue’s adhesive strength is less effective in high temperatures,
high-quality bows are not made in the summer. Yoo explains
that the flexible bamboo and the more durable oak and mulberry
are combined with other materials to optimize the bow’s tensile
strength.
“The traditional Korean bow is a type of horn bow, made
with water buffalo horn and cow sinew. In terms of perfor-
mance, it belongs to the ganggung , or strong bow category, the
most powerful of traditional bows,” Yoo notes. Over the years,
Yoo has passed on his crafting skills to his son, representing the
fifth generation of this family’s making of arrows and bows. For
Yoo’s second-oldest son, Se-hyeon (43), who grew up watching his
father make arrows and bows, as was the case with Yoo himself,
he has since given up the security of his regular work to follow in
his father’s footsteps.
“I have devoted my entire life to making arrows, but I am not
good at shooting arrows. Nevertheless, I have learned my life les-
sons from working with arrows. They say a good archer needs to
have the posture of a dancer, together with flexibility and self-con-
trol. I believe that is what we should strive for in our lives as well.”
On this windy and chilly winter afternoon, at my request, Yoo
agreed to draw one of his bows, although he mentioned that it had
been awhile. His upright posture conveyed a forthright and natu-
ral character, much like a river that flows effortlessly along its
singular course.
Winter 2008 | Koreana 49