Japanese Bamboo Arrow making my way - DIY Bamboo arrowmaking tutorial
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- I got a lot of questions on how I make my version of Japanese arrows. Well, here is how. Arrows are 1 meter Bamboo, with self cut and self dyed Turkey feathers, bone nocks and a Japanese target (mato) point.
If you wish for another feather placement, only clamp the nock first, after feather placement turn the nock in the desired position and then glue the nock.
Please enjoy. - Спорт
Absolutely beautiful. Probably the best arrow building on UA-cam!
Thank you very much.
👍
Thank you for sharing this beautiful process of making an arrow
Thank you too. You are most welcome.
Beautiful job! I have two large areas of Pseudosasa japonica growing on my Washington property and many canes drying for a few years. Now, i just need to find the time to make some decent arrows. Like bamboo, the wife's honey do list just doesn't stop growing. Your video will be helpful. Thank you!
Thank you very much for your compliment. You are most welcome. How fantastic that you have your own bamboo shafts. Maybe place 'making arrows' somewhere on the todo list? It's worth doing.
Thanks for showing the making of this beautiful arrows! Wow!
You are most welcome. Thank you too, for your compliment.
I'm from the North-Eastern part of India (Meghalaya), back in my village we use to straighten the specially selected Pseudosasa Japonica bamboo by heating the bends with a candle, then we bake them till their colour turns sunset-brown and while they are still hot we apply wax to them so that they absorb the wax and thus making them weather-proof, then we polish and cut them to necessary length, followed by cutting straight grooves on the bamboo for the feather to sit and align, the feathers are then temporarily stick to the grooves using locally made honey-wax, then we stitch the feather to the bamboo using circular braided method (similar to the knitting pattern of a katana handle) followed by the nocking. For the tip of the arrow we use metal which is hammered to a sheet and fold them into a cone shaped head and mounted them to the arrow with a special wax and then we solder the barb to the arrow metal tip using lead . .and an arrow is complete.
Respect!
👍
That's sound wonderful . I would like a video from this process
Yes, those are really pretty arrows, lovely work.
Thank you very much. :)
I wish if I could get a bow & arrow from you sensei ...I always wanted to be an archer but then family conditions were not in a favour as earning was not well n family was against...all dreams shattered but when I see people releasing the arrow n arrow hitting up at the mark I feel so happy...You are the master sensei, your students might be lucky to have a teacher like you...You are truly a master a teacher a mentor n a Guru for many ....Thanks for your teaching sensei...❤️🙏🏻
You're welcome
Bob Walker
sensei
Dinero no es pretexto.. los dos arcos que tengo, Que por cierto son mi orgullo ,yo mismo los hize. Y no me costaron ni un real.
Solo salir a buscar ramas que se presten, luego un enorme tiempo a tallar. Y hacer flechas..
Oviamente hize no sé cuántos arcos que se rompieron y otros que no sirven.
Pero así se aprende..
Así que valla al parque o bosque escoge una rama en forma de árbol y has tu arco.
Thank you for showing the paper tube trick on the fletchings, I have struggled with the rear bindings for years!! This will save me hours of frustration.
Most welcome
Thanks for teaching me how to do my own. It was fun to do and they shoot great!
Briljant! Most welcome. I wish you lots of archery fun.
Great video!!! You are a highly skilled craftsmen and a pleasure to watch you at your craft
Thank you :) I wish it may inspire you.
Wow! Accurate as well as beautifully made arrows. My hat's off to you.
Thank you so much for the compliment.
Beautiful Craftmanship, and a pleasure to watch your artistry.
Have made my own field arrows but have always used feathers I purchased though the shop, but this time believe I will use some from either a hawk or an owl that resides in my area if they prove suitable.
Thank you for sharing with us, as this was most appreciated.
Thank you very much. That is nice to hear. All you need for your fletches is the right length of the feathers and the courage to cut them. Please enjoy your practice.
LARRY? DO NOT USE THE FEATHERS OF A RAPTOR! YOU COULD BE ACCUSED OF POACHING THE BIRDS! BIG NO-NO! Use wild turkey feathers! They are more suitable for fletching arrows!
@@BobWalkerNL lĺ0
👍
Awesome video! Great craftsmanship! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your kind words. Most welcome.
Very clear and beautiful work
Thanks.
Thank you too.
Beautyful Work. For me Outstanding!!!🙏 pretty arrows. Thanks for Sharing
You are moste welcome. :)
beautiful workmanship, thankyou for sharing
You are welcome. Thank you for you kind reply.
I grew these japanese arrow bamboo in my yard, but it's hard to get the perfect shape and size each time.
Beautiful work btw
How cool. I think you have to grow acres of bamboo to be able to mix and match. Thank you very much for the compliment.
@@BobWalkerNL I might need to do so, they're pretty easy to grow here, I got good batch every so and then, but still need to straighten in up a bit.
I'll use your video as a reference next time, and again, beautiful craftsmanship Sensei.
Thank you so very much. You can use heat to straighten them. I think you will find footage of that on UA-cam. ENJOY!
👍👍
I was looking forward to the process of selecting the proper bamboo from the field and how to cut, clean and cure the wood properly for arrow making! So sorry you didn't include that as I have a good bamboo source and would like to try to make a few arrows myself!
No bamboo fields here sadly. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to your video on harvesting, curing, and prepping the shafts from your own bamboo. Would be good to post content yourself right?! Please keep me posted.
Outstanding amount of quality work
Thank you for these kind words.
Perefect and meditative working attitude. Great result. Congratulation.
Danke schön
I use the same roller jig to wrap my feathers with string, you can leave out the glue part and just use the lacquer to bind the thread, I use hard as nails clear and colors on my arrow and they last forever.
Just a thought to maybe make it easier for you and others
Thank you for the tip! :)
BEAUTEFUL craftmanship
Thanks so much
Wow, excellent job, fanstastic!
Thank you very much for your kind words.
Absolutely beautiful :D
Thank you so very much :)
That loop trick is really clever, first time I've seen it
Enjoy using it.
Cane fishing Rods was the first time I used it.
Wow u r an artist man!
Loved to watch
Thanks man
Wow that's awesome I love this part of Japanese bow and arrows I need a teacher who will teach me to mastered japanese archery skills.
Please do, you will not be disappointed.
I will not be disappointed sensi 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
if i spend this much time and effort on an arrow am never gonna shoot it.... it belongs in a museum.
Thank you very much for your friendly compliment
Nicely made video Bob. Well done.
Danke schön.
Those are very pretty arrows
Thank you very much for you compliment.
@@BobWalkerNL Thank you for imparting knowledge
Excelente vídeo!
Apresentação perfeita e detalhada, apresentando como fazer os mínimos detalhes.
Parabéns e obrigado!
Muito obrigada pelo elogio.
Awesome video you made some beautiful arrows thank you very much for the lessons
Thank you and welcome
Wundervolle und passende Musik dazu. Hervorragende Arbeit.
Danke schön.
I think the finished arrow must be kept in a museum because it takes a lot of time. The enemy or the prey would be naturally dead before it is completed.! It is an artwork rather than a weapon
Thank you
Great job.I use yadaka bambo picked at the end of the dry season in Anhui province, it's thick, density and light.
Arashiyama bambo yadaka is slightly heavier.
Thank you. Any pictures of your arrows?
@@BobWalkerNL I prefer the medieval technique.
You did a great job beautiful arrows thanks for the video.
Thank you too and you are most welcome.
Beautifully done, I see you have done these once or twice.
It took me about 5 years to meet my standards and even now... :)
Beautiful arrows, my friend!
Thank you very much. I am honored.
Excellent videos
Thank you very much.
lovely arrow...nice
Thank you very much.
Great video
Well thank you
Really nice and inspirational art and video. Regarding the music I really love that as well, may I ask you to tell me which songs can be heard in this video please? Thanks so much in advance.
Thank you very much for the compliment. Honestly, I do not remember the name of the music. Maybe if you use a music search app on a smartphone, it can be found.
Beautiful to watch. Thanks for posting 😎
Very nice of you to say. Thank you.
Nice and cool work
Thank you so very much.
Nice Thanks For The Tips
You are most welcome.
Domo arigatō, Bob Walker-sensei, for sharing your most artful craftmanship in this way...!
May I respectfully inquire as to how you even DYE the feathers yourself in this magnificent colour, as you write at 02:15 ?
Dōitashimashite, Patrick san. Of course you may. I am planning on doing a video on that soon. I use white Turkey feathers and dye that is meant for dyeing flyfish feathers. The whole process takes some time to tweak. After understanding what happens, it is real easy. Please have a little patience.
Bob Walker-sensei, thank you very much, I think would be of great value to us all! *bow*
Cool video.
Thank you very much.
Good DIY arrow making from bambu
Thank you very much :)
Great job
Thank you so much.
Beautiful
Thank you very much.
Exelente trabalho. É tão perfeito. Que eu não arremessada às flechas. Guardaria somente para apresentação. Parabéns.
Muito obrigado por este elogio.
Very nice and instructive video! Question: how do you dye your feathers?
Thank you very much. I use powder dye, for flyfish feathers. I dilude it with water and heat it au bain Marie in a jar. It's very important to clean the feathers with dishwasher soap first, for the dye to stay on. Rinse of real well and air dry on a tea towel. Some people use food dye. That is mostly done for bright, poppy colors. When I wish for a more gradient effect, I dye the feathers when stil wet. If I want a straight line, I make sure the feathers are real dry and that I don't agitate the jar. Enjoy!
@@BobWalkerNL thank you very much for your answer! I'll try that next time
Thanks, so accurately
Most welcome
I normally don't comment but..... amazing craftmenship, after all that work I would display it not shoot it 😂cause of how beautiful it is!
Thank you so very much.
nice video
Thank you very much.
Thos arrows are art and you ise them as tsrget pratice :D very nice work
Thank you very much. Indeed I do. Keeps me busy, between teaching, training and Bonsai work.
Love your work you are
Who I would want to be like if you will
You have the tiger and dragon in your
Eye much respect ps where do you teach.
Thank you very much for your kind reply.
very good
Thank you, much obliged.
good idea
Thank you.
Mooie pijlen! Met de nadruk op echt mooi!!
Waar haal je de bamboe blanks vandaan?
Ben bang dat ik troep koop als ik ze online bestel.
Dank voor je compliment. De schachten bestel ik normaal gesproken bij Sarmat Archery. Op dit moment is het moeilijk in te schatten of er leveringsmogelijkheden zijn. Je zou een e-mail kunnen sturen naar hen. De schachten die in Nederland verkocht worden (b.v. bij Asgaard) zijn doorgaans slechts 33 inch max. Bij Kyudopfeile.de kun je carbon en alu kopen van 1 meter. Die zijn lichter (een doorgaans dunner) dan Bamboe en ze vliegen daardoor sneller.
@@BobWalkerNL bedankt voor de info.
33" is lang genoeg voor mij.
Ik ben van plan een eigen boog voor mijn buurjongen te maken.
Hij komt graag kijken en meedoen met boog en luchtbuksschieten.
Dan samen bamboepijlen maken, zodat hij een beetje betrokken is bij het proces.
Ik wil een rotan recurve shortbow maken van een bo staf.
En dan bamboe pijlen om een beetje in de juiste stijl te blijven.
Fantastisch! Dat is een hele mooie gedachte. Ik heb goede ervaringen met Asgaard. Geniet van het proces. 🙏
Perfect shot dude cheers 🍻🔥 👍
Many thanks!
Very nice. How do you place the nock in reference to the fletching for Kyudo?
Thank you!
Thank you very much. For Kyudo the nock (Hazu) slot is placed vertical, when the fletching (Hane = wing) is held like the Mercedes logo.
bamboo growing in my garden ....
infinity arrows xd i just need another tutorial how to make Japanese bow please :)
Is it strong enough for arrows?
@@BobWalkerNL its a pseudosasa japonica and use it to make fishing rod before :)
How cool. I am looking forward to your diy arrows. Respect!
Beautiful arrows, I'd be scared to use them on 3D field round though, losing one after all that work would make this grown man cry!
id be scared not to use em, what a waste of time to just let em sit there.
Thank you. Fall is here. Less time for Bonsai, more time for new arrows.
It's like good wine. Drink it and buy new one.
nice workmanship
Thank you very much.
What a excellent arrows you made to lose after the third trip to target practice.
I would be too paranoid to use them if I made them like this. :V
Lost a few nocks meanwhile...
Hi, beautiful arrows. Where do you get your tips/points from?
Thank you very much. I got the points (Yanone) from Asahi Archery in Japan.
It looks an amazing category of archery. I make standard woodies but looking to venture into bamboo. I’m part way through some bamboo Manchu arrows but would love to give these a go too. Was it easy to dye the feather? Any special dye or techniques you use?
Good job. Wish you enjoy it. Although they had plenty in stock, the Manchu used mainly Birch wood and Poplar in stead of Bamboo. Length of both Japanese and Chinese arrows would be around the same. Most arrows were very heavy, for lots of kinetic energy / impact. Feather dyeing takes some practice. Especially when you want to control the aria you want to dye or not to dye. I use feather dye, made for dyeing fly fish feathers. It is very important to wash the feathers with dishwasher soap, before dyeing them. Enjoy!
Sensei !!! Otsukare
Ī ne. Doitashimashite.
Beau travail 👍👍👍👍
Merci bien.
very nice! thanks
Thank you. It is with plesure.
magnifica flecha tienes algun video de como hacer el arco ?
Tristemente no. Tal vez Sarmat Archery tiene?
Super top!Almir Freitas Júnior.
Thank you very much.
Wow beautiful
Thank you so much.
Very nice.
Thank you very much.
One year later... one arrow... 🤣
A bit of an exaggeration but it takes patience and consistency to do anything in archery. Nicely built!
Thank you. It takes about a week for 12 arrows. Of course I only attent to them in my spare time. Should I have more time, it would take about three days. In that time I would be able to make about 20 arrows.
nice job. i used to use the fletching tape but it's not worth it. back to messy glue. feathers stay on much longer
Holding it down with the string ensures longer durability
True. Only thing is that with me the string seems to wear and tear after some months.
I'm back to clue too. After some time it seems the best option.
Amazing artwork I must say, I am trying to make my own arrows too but I couldn't find the dimensions of the original fletching used for this type of arrows. What dimensions did you use to cut your feathers?
Thank you for your compliment. The feathers are 15 cm. which is nearly 6 inches (5.9). Enjoy making your arrows.
That was really inspiring.
Thank you.
Thank you very much too.
And of course he would have that hair style. I had it not too long ago too. Just saying, it seems to fit a Japanese craftsman.
It is a feeling. Thank you for our compliment.
What kind of lacquer do you use for this?
I use water based high gloss PU lacquer. It is almost odorless and hardens quite fast. I prefer a few thin layers over one or two thick coats.
what's the measurements of the fletching feathers? i want to try making one since nobody here in my country made japanese style archery gears(bows, arrows etc)
I wish you enjoy making them. It might even become a good seller. I use 6 inch feathers, plus 1 cm. on either side for your maki.
thank you!
Can you drill the shaft and glue threads for a broadhead?
Drilling a Bamboo shaft is easy, since the Bamboo is mostly hollow(ish).
wonderful video, whats the jig you used to allow easy rotation of the arrow during laquering etc
Thank you so much. I made the jig myself. Just a block of wood and 4 small wheels.
@@BobWalkerNL okay thanks! the video made me want to go shoot my yumi, what is the type of yumi you have? i have a maple fiberglass one i got from lancaster archer, its the cheapest i could afford. I really want to make some Ya and to do it the most efficent way i can. I have the same fletching jig too by bohning :)
I have the Jikishin III, Bamboo and fiberglass, and the Bamboo with Maple from Sarmat Archery. If you look up Sarmat Archery with Google, you can send the owner an e-mail and ask about prices. His Yumi will be on his website soon he told me. Enjoy your Yumi, for it will be pleased with you shooting it. I wish you joy on making Ya. It is wonderful making your own. Why wait? :)
HI :-) Beautiful videos. Can get your arrow making tools online. I live IN Peru Sacred Valley and there is a scarcity of technical stuff here. Thank you.
Thank you so very much. 🙏 Yes, you can buy all components online. Just type 'fletching jig' and you will find them. Also arrow shafts, nocks, poins, etc. Easy way would be E-bay, I guess. Feathers you can also look for in the forest (if legal). Good luck and enjoy.
@@BobWalkerNL Great, thank you. Yes, I will look around for turkeyish feathers.
I like it
🙏
Nice
:) Thank you very much.
Are the fletching off set or straight Please I would like to start making some of these arrows too
Great! I wish you enjoy making them. For Japanese style arrows I choose straight over helical. Typically one makes half of the arrows with left-wing feathers (Haya, spinning clockwise) and half with right-wing feathers (Otoya, spinning counter clockwise). When firing your two arrows, you shoot one of both.
que obra de arte !! linda flecha like sempre
Obrigado
@@BobWalkerNL oi amigo se inscreva em meu canal luiz gabriel de barra bonita sp.
Это же не стрела, а произведение искусства 👍👍👍
Огромное спасибо
How long length this arrow?👍👍
1 metre
so you dont use yanone? and you simulate the weight of the tang of the yanone with the brass rod?
Thank you so much for your questions. I think you mean the Yanone used in warfare and for ceremonial purposes, made by blacksmiths. I do indeed use them. ua-cam.com/video/mDFYXaMB-sQ/v-deo.html Yanone means Point. So modern arrows use modern Yanone. www.asahi-archery.co.jp/kyudo_en_jp/k_2/items_en8.php This is better for modern targets. Old time warheads would also be destroyed by the constant landing in the sand. Besides that, a handmade warhead cost about $ 15,00 - $ 50,00 a piece. Modern day archers mostly do not want their arrows top heavy, so the flight is a little more straight. I like my arrows a little more heave in the front (FOC), so indeed I insert some weight. Heavy arrows and Yanone of course were used to ensure high kinetic impact. In today's archery luckily there is no need for high impact.
Good tutorial for all arrow makers, who want to make Japanese-style arrows, but if it stands for Kyudo, You've made few mistakes - the feathers are in wrong alignment and also, I suppose, that they are from the same wing on both arrows. Furthermore, for Kyudo arrows, the brass weight is redundant, because the center of mass should be near the center of the arrow for flat trajectory.
szb9 Feather alignment? Can you give some more details please.
@@ironforge039sure, in kyudo the feathers are in "Mercedes emblem" shape, when on the string (one feather pointing up). Here are some more details www.kyudo.com/kyudo-e4.html
Indeed in Kyu - Do one uses slightly different build arrows. Thank you for putting that out. No need for heavy tip and of course Yugaeri makes room for feathers to pass freely. In Kyu - Jutsu there is no time for Yugaeri; you want to nock another arrow asap, since you want to shoot faster than the archer on the other side of the battlefield. Also you want the tip to be heavy for more impact. Ancient Yanone were very heavy to ensure a lot of kinetic energy and heavy impact. My target did not like me to use my willowleaf Yanone at all, so I came up with a diferent solution. In traditional Japanese arrowmaking btw little weights are inserted in the shaft, to ensure the same balans in every set of arrows. I use only Haya and I am very happy with that. When I communicate with people I like to use the word 'differences' opposed to 'mistakes'.
Aa far as i know "Kyujutsu" is just an old name for "Kyudo" (before "spiritualisation" of it, as one of the arts of war - "Bujutsu"), to this day there are schools of combat japanese archery, such as Heki Ryu, whitch I am practicing currently and the "symmetrical" feathers are helpful for rapid sgooting. Also we don't do yugaeri, but a hand movement similar to turkish khatra, to help the arrow pass the bow, the result is the same as with yugaeri. I see that maybe "mistakes" was too strong word in this case, I think I ignored the phrase "my way" in the title, sorry for that.
Bob Walker sensei Good answer Bob. There are so many many ‘differences’ in archery that it’s virtually impossible to determine right from wrong. In my sixty years of bending bows I’ve come to the conclusion that really great archers have just two things in common, the first is an intimate knowledge of their equipment and the second is, a consistency of technique regardless of what the equipment is or what the method of shooting is. When we look at archers across the globe we constantly observe what appear to be contradictions to us yet to others it’s normal. The results speak for themselves.
Personally I like to shoot many different types of bows using different styles just to challenge the brain and comfort zone. In my experience, the Yumi I believe, is probably the least efficient form of archery that I’ve yet encountered, it’s big, slow and clunky. Having said that, I need to quickly add, that it is also the richest in traditions and is by far the most satisfying and fulfilling way to spend time, I love it. I’ve grown to an age where the flight of an arrow is such a joy to watch not just because the eye sight is still good enough but also because occasionally, I actually hit what I’ve aimed at ha ha. Right or wrong just keep aiming higher.
Really nice
Thank you so much.
And also where can I buy the gear you
Have to make my arrows.
I buy the materials in several places. sarmatarchery.com for the shafts, www.bogensportwelt.de for the nocks. I order full feathers, which I cut and dye. Points come from Japan. I think Google will be of help in your search for materials. Enjoy!
Hi,Where did you get this shaft?
sarmatarchery.com
Beautiful work. The Lacquer would have been much more than enough to seal the winding's.
True, as a sealant it is. For me applying the glue makes the surface smooth, which saves sanding. It also ensures that the color of the thread stays bright.
Did you make the songs too?
I use royalty free songs. I only play guitar.
If you shoot two arrows , please put 2 red Xs , I pucker way too much seeing a beautiful arrow almost getting ruined by the next ,
Nice job
Thank you. 🙏🏻 Honestly I did shoot off some nocks allready. That really hurts.
@@BobWalkerNL the sound of a tight group is a nice that's a two edged sword , a carbon arrow has no soul but wood or grass ?? Just started messing around building wood arrows , and if it requires failure for success, I'm gonna be a genius one day,,,one day
@@mickjenner6697 How are they coming along? Enjoy! Striving for that one day allready makes you succesfull.
@@BobWalkerNL my latest batch of 6 got 3 that want to group and group where I'm wanting,
Still trying various paints, varnish and stain to see what works the best
Started with a thumb ring last year and am loving it , seems I'm ok at making thumb rings though , I have a bucket of them now , hehe
I just made a great set , got some grey goose feathers from stephan raab , and boy do I feel pleased with myself,
Is there a video on how to make the bow?
Maybe you could ask the manufacturer? Sarmat Archery.
Beautiful arrows, very nice. Do you make the horn nock yourselves?
Thank you very much for your compliment. Nocks are the only parts I haven't made myself yet. Will do in the near future of course.