II.
THE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

 

1 - The Shooting Arms

The Medieval Archery from Đại-Việt

 

 

 

       

       At the time called «Spring and Autumn Period - 春 秋 時 代» (722-481 BC), the Ancients had already Six Trades (Lục Nghệ) :

       1. The Rites» ( Lễ),
       2. The Music (Nhạc),
       3. The Archery (Xạ),
       4. The Horse Riding and Chariot Driving (Ngự),
       5. The Writing and the Literature (Thư),
       6. The Mathematics (Số). 

       Thus, the two trades « Xạ - Archery» and « Ngự - Horse Driving» had existed before the Military Profession. And the Archery was quoted first among Medieval Weapons from « Eighteen Sections of Martial Arts ».

       In addition, the Military Profession has been deeply influenced by these two trades « Xạ - Archery » and « Ngự - Horse ridinh and Chariot driving ».
       This is precisely for this reason that in Martial Arts Postures Techniques from Great Martial Arts School System in Việt-Nam, three foundamental Postures have been called :
       1. Horseman Posture = Mã Bộ Tấn (馬 步 迅) - now named Trung-Bình-Tấn (中 平 迅) = Medium Posture - called Kiba Dachi - Kị-Mã Tấn 騎 馬 迅 by Japaneses ;
       2. Bow and Arrow Posture = Cung-Tiễn Tấn (弓 箭 迅) - now named Đinh-Tấn (丁迅 = T Posture) ;
       3. Hoof Horse Posture = Chảo-Mã Tấn (爪 馬 迅) - now always named Chảo-Mã Tấn (爪 馬 迅) ;
       And also it exists, in various Coded Poems from Codified Sequences, expressions as :
       -. To Get on one's Horse and to Shoot with the Bow = Thượng-Mã Khai Cung ;
       -. Getting on one's Horse, the General bears his Seal = Thượng-Mã Tướng-Quân Thác Ấn ;
       -. To Shoot with the Bow for earning the Promised Field = Thần-Cung Xạ Hứa-Điền ;
       -. Etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Committee of Martial Arts Masters VÕ-TRẬN-ĐẠI-VIỆT Bình-Định Sa-Long-Cương FRANCE TRỊNH Quang Thắng.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to Page HISTORY The Võ-Trận Đại-Việt Department	Return to Page DISCUSSION The Medieval Weapons