Abstract
In order to give the arrow a right flight towards the target, the grip-part must be twisted to the unclockwise direction, seeing from right above, in Japanese Archery. Otherwise, the flying direction of the arrow turns to the right of target. How to twist the grip-part is the one of very important techniques in Japanese Archery, so several ways of gripping had been devised by ancient archers.
In the same manner, the activities of the right arm and hand has been discribed as follows in many Japanese Archery textbooks. That is, the following two different ways are major.
1) The right arm and hand must be kept twisting inward up to the moment when the arrow is discharged.
2) The right arm and hand must be kept twisting outward up to the moment when the arrow is discharged.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the proper activity of the right arm and hand.
In order to investigate the difference between two methods, the movement of bow string after release was photographed. From analyzing the bow string movements, the followings could be inferred.
1) Under the influence of TENOUCHI-NOHATARAKI (the final effort of the grip hand), the bow string moves back to the initial state through such a locus as curved longer at the front of archer.
2) In the case of twisting inward the right arm and hand, the bow string curved extrcmely at the first phase if the duration of bow string movement was classified into three phases.
3) TENOUCHI-NO-HATARAKI is very important to hit a target. The effective gripping must be included successfully in the process of completing the YUGAMAE motion.
