Korean archery - 'A fundamental aspect of refinement'

Korean archers along what looks like part of the city wall. Circa 1930s. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

It has been said that the bow was once the most powerful Korean weapon in combat until the early 17th century when matchlock rifles appeared on the peninsula. However, archery remained an integral part of Korean society and it was, according to Shin Myung-ho, the author of Joseon Royal Court Culture, "a fundamental aspect of refinement."

Many of Joseon's early monarchs were masters of archery. King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) frequently demonstrated his prowess with the bow and, according to one source, was "unrivaled by his contemporaries." While practicing in Suwon, he hit the target 24 out of 25 times.

"The king used a red painted bow made of rhinoceros horn" and shot at a target with a bear's head painted in the center of a white background and surrounded by red hemp cloth. Other participants in the competition or practice shot at similar targets except theirs had a blue border and a painted stag's head in the center. "The different targets manifested the Confucian social hierarchy."

While King Jeongjo may have been unrivaled by his contemporaries," he did not compare to his predecessors. In his youth, it wasn't uncommon for the founder of the Joseon dynasty, King Taejo (r. 1392-1398) to shoot between fifty and one hundred arrows and hit the target every time. King Sejo (r. 1455-1468) was also an impressive archer and "was praised as being the 'reincarnation of Taejo.'"

Korean archers at the new archery range in 1899-1900. Robert Neff Collection

Of course, not all members of the royal house were as skilled as King Taejo. On June 21, 1908, Prince Uihwa (Yi Gang) was involved in a potentially fatal incident while practicing archery. He apparently struck a boy with an arrow but fortunately, the wound was not serious and so, according to the local newspaper, Seoul Press, he "gave the unfortunate lad one yen" in compensation ― which was about fifty cents.

In the final years of the Joseon dynasty, King Gojong does not seem to have displayed his archery prowess to any of his Western guests ― at least none that I could find. However, many Westerners did witness archery events in Seoul and for the most part, were very impressed.

Arnold Henry Savage Landor (better known as Henry A. Savage Landor), an English painter and writer, visited Korea in early 1891 and wrote extensively about his adventures. His writing tended to be self-serving and very opinionated but amusing. According to him, archery was a noble pastime and one of the few sporting events in Korea.

"Princes and nobles indulge in it and even become dexterous at it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long and are kept very tight. The arrows are short, and light, generally made of bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time. Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have the trouble of taking part in such themselves; professional archers are, in consequence, abounding all over the country and sometimes being kept at the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private individuals offer large prizes for skillful archers, who command almost as much admiration as do the famous "Espadas" in the bullfights of Spain. The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before his Majesty and the Court."

A view of the Korean archers as they shoot at the new archery range in 1899-1900. Robert Neff Collection

Fortunately for Landor, the Korean archers he encountered were as skilled as King Taejo. One evening, as the sun was setting, he inadvertently walked onto a target range near the East Gate. With the sun in his eyes and unable to see, he heard Korean soldiers shouting at him to stop but he continued on ― convinced they were having fun at his expense. He later wrote:

"I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically no account, for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly ever miss their target."

In the early 1890s, American ethnographer Stewart Culin wrote an extensive account of Korean archery. According to him, Seoul was divided up into four different quarters or sections and each had its own archery team composed of Han-ryang. Culin described the Han-ryang as "'leisure,' or 'unoccupied fellows,' not in service, being neither nobles nor soldiers. They do no work, but travel from place to place, and are said to think and talk of nothing but arrow-shoot from morning until night."

The four archery teams of Seoul were the Eastern, represented by a green banner; the Western, by a white banner; the Northern, represented by an azure banner and generally recruited from the noble boys; and the Southern, represented by a red banner, recruited from the sons of military families.

Musicians and entertainment. Circa 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

For the archery contests, each team consisted of the twelve best archers, all dressed alike and wearing armbands. The target was a large board with a black square painted in the center. Each of the players would have three turns in which they fired five arrows ― for a total of 15 arrows. An arrow that struck the board earned one point while those that hit the black square earned two points.

The teams even had their own cheerleading squads. According to Culin:

"Sometimes four singing girls, [Gisaeng], for each of the four different sides, accompany the shooters, and when a hit is made the girls for that side sing, calling out the name of the person making the shot. The music at the same time strikes up."

At the end of the day, when the contest was finished, the musicians would go to the victors and the losers would follow. A great feast would be held, presumably, with vast amounts of alcohol and singing, all paid for by the losers.

Men were not the only ones to compete. Boys, armed with steep-pointed arrows, played a game involving their shoes:

"A mark is put in the ground at a certain distance and those who engage shoot at it. The one who goes farthest away must put his shoe in the place where his arrow strikes, and then all shoot at the shoe, including its owner, until one misses, when he must put his shoe down instead."

Culin concluded his description of the game by noting it was "very destructive to boys' shoes."

A German advertisement card featuring Korean archers. Circa 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

By the mid-1890s, time was running out for the Han-ryang and their old customs and traditions. Although they were "a fraternal union, helping each other in trouble," it was their retention of old customs and traditions that ran afoul with King Gojong's reforms. According to Culin, the Han-ryang "go about always carrying their bow and arrows, indifferent to public opinion, and doing whatever they please. During the past four years His Majesty, the King, has suppressed the Han-ryang, subjecting them to severe penalties, and it is said that in a few years they will entirely disappear."

Yet, despite Culin's fears, the Han-ryang continued to impress Westerners visiting or residing in Korea.

Burton Holmes, an American travel writer, visited Seoul at the end of the 19th century and spent "an interesting hour watching the gentlemen of Seoul contending in friendly rivalry in the dignified and medieval exercise" of archery. He described the archery range that had recently been established.

"The Archery Range is excellent; a temple-terrace for the archers, the target on a terraced hillside, beyond a broad green-clad depression where passers-by may walk in safety beneath the high curvings of the feathered shafts, for the Korean gentlemen aim high as if intent on hitting unseen stars. And they are accurate of aim; for nearly every arrow as it descends from the cleft skies strikes the mark or, at the worst, falls very near it."

A colored postcard patterned after the first picture of this article. Circa 1930s. Robert Neff Collection

William Franklin Sands (an American advisor to the Korean government from 1899-1904) was quite impressed with Korean archery which had long since ceased to be used in combat but was a very "live sport."

"The bows were shorter than ours, or than the old English bows, but much heavier and broader. They were made of wide strips of ox horn cunningly welded together and were more powerful than ours. I could not even bend one, though the Koreans who practiced constantly could send their yard-long reed shafts tipped with iron very accurately and with incredible rapidity and strength. They never hesitated to take one on in target competition against a .45 Colt revolver at a hundred yards. I have seen them make a series of bull's eyes at two hundred and even make a target at three hundred yards."

I wonder how the matchlock rifles compared to the .45 Colt revolver.

My appreciation to Prof. Thomas Duvernay, Timothy V. Atkinson and Diane Nars for their invaluable assistance.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.