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WABUKAN Arsenal · Bows and projectiles · China

Crossbow

A bow mounted across a stock, with a trigger that holds the string drawn so the shooter can take time to aim; invented in ancient China.

Crossbow
Crossbow WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

crossbow; arbalest, arbalist (European variant); nu (Chinese); gastraphetes (Greek forerunner)

Origin and history

The earliest known crossbows were invented in ancient China in the first millennium BC and changed warfare, especially in Qin’s wars of unification and the Han campaigns. Chinese texts of the 4th to 3rd centuries BC attributed to followers of Mozi mention them, and Sun Tzu’s Art of War refers to them. In Europe the Greek gastraphetes, or “belly-bow”, appeared around the late 5th century BC. The crossbow reappeared as a French weapon at the sieges of Senlis (947) and Verdun (984), was used at Hastings in 1066 and was a common battlefield weapon by the 12th century.

Martial arts that use it

Seen in traditional practice, historical reenactment and demonstrations; no art page on WABUKAN yet.

Construction

A bow-like assembly called the prod mounted crosswise on a frame called the tiller, held like the stock of a long gun, shooting short bolts or quarrels. A trigger mechanism keeps the string spanned. Heavy crossbows were spanned with levers, belt hooks, pulleys, windlasses or cranequins.

Basic techniques

Training

Ranged weapons are trained on a range with a safe backstop: stance, grip, release and breathing are repeated until the movement is identical every time. Distance increases only after the form is stable.

Safety

Only shoot or throw on a supervised range with a safe backstop, never towards anything you would not want to hit, and never retrieve while others are shooting or throwing.

Legality (general information)

Bows, throwing blades and similar weapons are often legal to own but may only be used on approved ranges or under club rules; some throwing weapons (such as shuriken or throwing stars) are banned outright in several countries. This is general information, not legal advice: check local law and your federation’s rules.

Did you know?

The earliest surviving European crossbow remains were found at Lake Paladru in France and date to the 11th century.

More weapons

Spear-thrower (atlatl) Javelin Fukiya (blowgun) English longbow Yumi Sling

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Crossbow