Through arrow

Japanese: 通し矢 - とおしや

It is also called Domae or Dosha. It is a shooting from south to north along the western edge of Sanjusangendo (Rengeoin) in Kyoto, and later a hall dedicated to shooting through arrows was built in imitation of this in Fukagawa, Edo (originally Asakusa). There are also records of this being performed in the western corridor of the Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple.

The oldest record is from the Hogen era (1156-59), but some say the first records date to the Tensho era (1573-92). Either way, the tools and shooting techniques used in toshiya in those days were based on actual combat, and the main focus was not to compete with others for records as was the case in the Edo period, but to test one's own skills. From the Edo period onwards, toshiya became a fully competitive sport, reaching its zenith in the early to mid-Edo period, but interest in it gradually waned due to plateauing records, the worsening economic situation of the samurai class, and changes in the samurai culture.

[Kohei Irie]

Competition Overview

The competition involves shooting arrows through a limited space of 7 shaku 3 sun (approximately 2.2 meters) wide, 2 ken 4 shaku (approximately 5 meters) high to the ceiling, and 66 ken (approximately 120 meters) long without touching either the left, right, top, or bottom, and the events are a combination of distance, time, and number of arrows, with 11 events held in Kyoto and 23 events held in Edo and Fukagawa. Among these, the highlight of the competition is the "Zendo Daiyasu," in which 66 arrows are shot continuously over the course of a day and night, competing to see who can shoot the most arrows. To become the best in Japan in this event was highly regarded as the true champion of Toshiya.

According to the "Yakazucho," a record book that recorded the total number of arrows in the entire hall, the record was broken by 41 archers in total, beginning with 51 arrows by Heibei Asaoka in 1606 (Keicho 11). The battle for the record was fierce between the Kishu and Oshu domains in the final stages, but in 1686 (Jokyo 3), Wasa Daihachiro of the Kishu domain set a new record of 8,133 arrows (a total of 13,053 arrows), beating the previous record of 8,000 arrows (a total of 10,542 arrows) set by Hoshino Kanzaemon of the Oshu domain in 1669 (Kanbun 9). Since then, no one has been able to beat this record.

Toshiya is performed in a sitting position, and there are unique methods for how the arrow is loaded, held in the hand, drawn, and released. The archery equipment also features a slightly shorter, boat-bottom shaped bow with wheat grain arrows, and four-gloved gloves with hard caps were devised to prevent fatigue and pain, and various improvements were made to the push-hand gloves to improve records. Toshiya competitions require advanced shooting techniques for long-distance, rapid, and endurance shooting, as well as strong physical and mental strength to support them, so rigorous training was undertaken day and night from childhood. The content of toshiya competitions and their rise and fall contain many interesting questions for the study of the history of Kyudo as well as the history of physical education and sports in Japan.

[Kohei Irie]

[Reference] | Large arrow count | Kyudo | Hoshino Kanzaemon | Wasa Daihachiro

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

堂前(どうまえ)、堂射ともいう。京都三十三間堂（蓮華(れんげ)王院）の西側外縁を南から北に向かって射通すもので、のちにこれに模して江戸・深川（初め浅草）にも通し矢専用の堂がつくられた。そのほか東大寺大仏殿西回廊でもこれを行った記録がある。

　保元(ほうげん)年間（1156～59）に行われたとする記録がもっとも古く、天正(てんしょう)年間（1573～92）の記録を嚆矢(こうし)とする説もある。いずれにしてもこれらの時代の通し矢は、用具も射法も実戦を前提としたものであり、江戸時代に入ってからのように第三者との記録争いを目的とするものでなく、自分自身の技量を試みることに主眼があった。江戸時代以降の通し矢は完全に競技化され、同時代初期から中期にかけて全盛を極めたが、記録の頭打ち、武士階級の経済状態の悪化、士風の変化などによりしだいに興味が失われ衰退していった。

［入江康平］

競技の概要

縁幅7尺3寸（約2.2メートル）、天井までの高さ2間4尺（約5メートル）、長さ66間（約120メートル）の制限された空間を、左右上下いずれにも触らず射通すもので、種目は距離と時間と矢数の組合せにより、京都では11種目、江戸・深川では23種目が行われた。なかでも66間を一昼夜かけて射続け、その通り矢数を競う「全堂大矢数」は通し矢競技の華であり、この種目で日本一になることこそが、通し矢の真の覇者として高く評価されたのである。

　この「全堂大矢数」を刊行された記録簿である『矢数帖(やかずちょう)』にみると、1606年（慶長11）の浅岡平兵衛の51筋を最初とし、延べ41名の射手が記録を更新している。記録争いの末期は紀州藩と尾州藩との間で激烈を極めたが、1686年（貞享3）紀州藩の和佐大八郎(わさだいはちろう)が8133本（惣矢数1万3053射）の大記録を樹立し、1669年（寛文9）尾州藩の星野勘左衛門(ほしのかんざえもん)の8000本（惣矢数1万0542射）を破り、以後今日に至るまで、だれもこの記録を破ったものはいない。

　通し矢は安座の姿勢で行い、矢のつがえ方、手の内、引取り、離れなどに独特の方法があり、弓具も弓はやや短めの船底型とし麦粒(むぎつぶ)矢を使用、弽(ゆがけ)は疲労や痛み防止のため堅帽子の四つ弽が考案され、また押手(おして)弽にもくふうが凝らされるなど、記録向上のためさまざまな改良が加えられた。通し矢競技は、遠射、速射、耐久射の高度な射術と、それを支える強靭(きょうじん)な体力と精神力が要求されるため、幼少年期より日夜厳しいトレーニングが行われた。通し矢競技の内容とその盛衰は、弓道史上はもちろんのこと日本の体育・スポーツ史研究上興味ある諸問題を含んでいる。

［入江康平］

[参照項目] | 大矢数 | 弓道 | 星野勘左衛門 | 和佐大八郎

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