Looking for origin of arrow feathers

[Anthony de Vos]

Sirs,

 

I'm just starting up my Japanese arrow renovation project. I have plenty of arrows needing fletching as well as new arrowheads. When I made a survey I noticed that among the hundred or so arrows there are at least 20 different birds contributing to the existing feathers.

 

I would be interesting to now what birds since I'm trying to get the original feathers ( there are legal ways even though they are protected)

 

If there are there any ornithologists or bird lovers out there that can intentify enclosed feathers it would be great.

 

I found this list of Japanese birds of pray, anyone able to connect that to the photos?

 

Osprey Pandion haliaetus Misago

Honey Buzzard (or Eurasian Honey Buzzard) Pernis apivorus Hachikuma

Black Kite Milvus migrans Tobi

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Ojiro-washi

Steller's Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus 0h-washi

Northern Goshawk(or Goshawk) Accipiter gentilis Oh-taka

Grey Frog Hawk Accipiter soloensis Akahara-daka

Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis Tsumi

Sparrowhawk (or Northern Sparrowhawk) Accipiter nisus Hai-taka

Rough-legged Buzzard( Rough-legged Hawk) Buteo lagopus Keashi-nosuri

Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius Oh-nosuri

Common Buzzard (or Buzzard) Buteo buteo Nosuri

Grey-faced Buzzard-Eagle Butastur indicus Sashiba

Hodgson's Hawk-eagle(Mountain Hawk Eagle) Spizaetus nipalensis Kuma-taka

Greater Spotted Eagle(or Spotted Eagle) Aquila clanga Karafuto-washi

Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca Katashiro-washi

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Inu-washi

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus Kuro-hagewashi

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela Kanmuri-washi

Northern Harrier(or Hen Harrier, Marsh Hawk) Circus cyaneus Haiiro-chuhi

Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos Madara-chuhi

Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus Chuhi

 

Family Falconidae

English Names Scientific Names Japanese Names

Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus Shiro-hayabusa

Pregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Hayabusa

Northern Hobby(or Hobby) Falco subbuteo Chigo-hayabusa

Merlin Falco columbaris Ko-chougenbou

Eastern Red-footed Falcon Falco amurensis Akaashi-chougenbou

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Hime-chougenbou

Eurasian Kestrel(or Kestrel) Falco tinninculus Chougenbou

 

Family Strigidae

English Names Scientific Names Japanese Names

Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca Shiro-fukurou

Eurasian Eagle Owl(or Eagle Owl) Bubo bubo Washi-mimizuku

Blakiston's Fish Owl Ketupa blakistoni Shima-fukurou

Long-eared Owl Asio otus Torafu-zuku

Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Komimi-zuku

Common Scops Owl(or Scops Owl) Otus scops Konoha-zuku

Elegant Scops Owl Otus elegans Ryukyu-konohazuku

Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena Oh-konohazuku

Borel Owl(or Tengmalm's Owl) Aegolius funereus Kinme-fukurou

Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata Aoba-zuku

Ural Owl Strix uralensis Fukurou

 

Arrow nr 1 is supposed to be white hawk "shira taka" not on the list, maybe a sub spicies?

[cabowen]

I think you need an ornithologist, not nihon-tophiles....try your local zoo.....

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon Anthony,

 

Try Asahi Archery in Tokyo, they are very helpful.

 

http://www.asahi-archery.co.jp/kyudo_a2/kyudo_items.php

 

Cheers

[Anthony de Vos]

Hello!

 

Thank you malcolm, I will do that.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

 

(Sorry I didn't sign the original post)

[ROKUJURO]

......I have plenty of arrows needing fletching as well as new arrowheads.

Sorry, I cannot contribute to the 'feather' subject, but I know that it is difficult and expensive to buy KYUDO arrows with eagle feathers (even without closer specification) from your standard KYUDO shop in Japan. Nevertheless, a real specialist might help.

 

What I am interested in are the arrowheads. Do you use old and original items or do you really buy NEW ones? As a smith I am interested in this subject, I have forged a small number of these and would like to see some pictures of original heads if you have.

[Anthony de Vos]

Hello Jean!

 

My arrows currently are divided in 4 cathegories;

1. With war heads and good feathers, 25%, 2. With war heads but needing new feathers, 25%, 3. Good feathers needing new war heads, 40%, and last just some damned bamboo sticks needing both feathers and new war heads, 10%.

I use original war heads only, just as i use original feathers, ( I managed to buy a whole lot of golden eagle feathers out of China).

I will try to take some arrow head photos tomorrow for you, I have many different styles with and without signature.

Eventually all will be displayed in ebiras, utsubos and so forth together with some yumi, and some in two wonderful transportation wooden boxes made for transporting arrows to the battlefield.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

[Anthony de Vos]

Hello jean!

 

It was stupid of me to use the term "new", regarding the arrow heads in the original topic. I meant new, as to substitute missing heads or replacing practicing heads to war heads. I only use old original arrow heads.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

[ROKUJURO]

Anthony,

 

thank you - that's what I understood from your previous post (.....I use original war heads only.....).

 

I can only admire the artists who made them, and I wonder wether there were specialized arrow-smiths or wether they were made as a by-product by other smiths. Do you happen to know?

[bmoore1322]

I've tried to buy original arrows from Japan, was told that they could not send me any feathers with raptor feathers, eagle, or hawk feathers, really sucks, as I have seen some beautiful arrows for sale recently.

 

Brian

[ROKUJURO]

I've tried to buy original arrows from Japan, was told that they could not send me any feathers with raptor feathers, eagle, or hawk feathers, really sucks, as I have seen some beautiful arrows for sale recently.....

A long while ago I was lucky enough to purchase feathers from a big Chinese eagle from a falconer. This was quite cheap at that time, maybe there were no other KYUDOKA or arrowsmiths around. Also, you could try at a zoo or even at a traditional archery shop (longbow).

 

If it was for private display only, big turkey or goose feathers may do the job as well - better than no feathers at all......As far as I know, not all SAMURAI could afford eagle feathers.

[Bugyotsuji]

Wonderful thread. I look forward to seeing your finished display which will surely be a historical treasure.

 

PS I wonder if the ex-pilot and Yabusame practitioner Mike Jay could help here?

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon Anthony

 

http://www.asahi-archery.co.jp/kyudo_e/fletcher_en.pdf

 

Cheers

[estcrh]

Anthony, great project, please keep it updated with your progress.

 

I've tried to buy original arrows from Japan, was told that they could not send me any feathers with raptor feathers, eagle, or hawk feathers, really sucks, as I have seen some beautiful arrows for sale recently.

 

Brian

Brian who told you that? I just bought some arrows from Japan recently and had no problem with shipping, I have no idea what type of feathers they are but I never heard of any restrictions on antique arrows. These are short kago yumi arrows.

[bmoore1322]

The feathers on them were Golden Eagle feathers, a buddy of mine that is the local game warden, he said unless I have an License, or belong to a tribe that no one else could own them, which I thought sounded in-correct.

 

Either way i would love to own just a couple original ones with them on the arrows.

 

As I do have some current production Japanese arrows, with bamboo shafts, and white turkey feathers on them.

 

Brian

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon all,

 

The precise information you require regarding importation of Feathers or items containing Feathers of fragments thereof is going to be here:

 

http://www.cites.org/

 

 

Cheers

[Anthony de Vos]

Hello!

 

I enclose some pictures of arrow heads in waiting to be ensambled with the arrow shafts.

 

Some different models for you Jean, some signed as well.

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

[ROKUJURO]

Wow, what a wonderful collection! Thank you for sharing, very much appreciated!

I understand now that you don't need to buy NEW arrowheads.

 

As you are knowledgeable in this field, I'd like to ask again if you happen to know who forged these YANONE. In medieval times, European smiths had a tendency to specialize on a narrow spectrum of their respective craft, so we had up to 46 different professions in the vast field of forging, and of course we had arrowsmiths. Was it the same in Japan?

[estcrh]

Good afternoon all,

 

The precise information you require regarding importation of Feathers or items containing Feathers of fragments thereof is going to be here:

 

http://www.cites.org/

 

 

Cheers

Malcolm, nothing precise in any of that mess, more incomprehensible government bureaucracy. I spent some time trying to find some relevant information on the importation of antique items but much of the info was about ivory, it seems that you would need the help of an expert in the field of importation to legally import anything on the cites list, no wonder people just go around the regulations.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning Eric,

 

The "precise" information will be on the site, however when it is interpreted precisely by varying grades of importation enforcement officers worldwide, its precision may become a little less than precise.........

 

it seems that you would need the help of an expert in the field of importation to legally import anything on the cites list, no wonder people just go around the regulations.

 

Precisely...............

 

I can recall somewhere in one of the subsections, a paragraph which said that some (not specified) feathers imported for non commercial personal use were ok but feathers (not specified) imported for commercial use required a Licence.

 

I guess the only workable practice is to use the same one as the major Auction Houses use regarding Ivory, that items are demonstrably pre 1950 with no later additions or restorations.

 

Cheers

[cabowen]

In the US, from what I have been told, it is illegal to be in possession of raptor feathers, period.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Having been a volunteer for one summer at a raptor rehabilitation center and hunted a number of times with a Falconer, that is correct Chris.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon all,

 

http://www.artnews.com/2012/05/01/rausc ... -feathers/

 

Cheers

[Anthony de Vos]

Hello Jean!

 

Regarding your question, I'm no authority on the subject but from what I understand there were sword smiths doing yanone and swords. If there also apeared specialist yanone smiths maybe somebody else know?

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

[estcrh]

Good afternoon all,

 

http://www.artnews.com/2012/05/01/rausc ... -feathers/

 

Cheers

From the article "Pence put the gallery on notice that she planned to revoke its permit unless it could provide proof of nonprofit status or evidence that the bird was killed and stuffed prior to 1940." So there is an exception to the law?

[Bruce Pennington]

Don’t know the proper place to post this, so I just piggybacked on this thread. One shot of Arrowhead’s from Lee Monson‘s collection. I wish I had taken pictures of the other three cases. This one was interesting because it has wooden whislers.  Had not seen these before.
 

[ROKUJURO]

Thank you Bruce!

Nice YAJIRI, they would fit nicely into my small collection....

[Brian]

Big fan of these myself. Have a small collection. Some very rare ones there.

[Bruce Pennington]

I plan to visit again next week.  I'll get shots of the other 3 cases then.

 

He said the two corroded ones at the top were excavated from some old site and believed to be a few thousand years old.