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WABUKAN Arsenal · Bows and projectiles · Japan

Fukiya (blowgun)

The Japanese blowgun, a tube about 1.2 m long with no mouthpiece, and today an archery-type sport; old ninjutsu schools also used it.

Fukiya (blowgun)
Fukiya (blowgun) WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

fukiya 吹き矢; fukibari (the darts); blowgun, blowpipe

Origin and history

The fukiya is often considered a ninja weapon, and several old schools of martial arts and ninjutsu, such as Togakure-ryū, used the fukiya and its darts. A ninjutsu fukiya was about 50 cm, shorter than the sport version, which reduces its range. Blowguns in general were used by many peoples of Asia and the Americas, mainly for hunting small animals. In Japan, fukiya is now treated as an archery sport run by the Japan Sports Fukiya Association, with an International Fukiya Association whose main members are American and French bodies.

Martial arts that use it

Ninjutsu

Construction

A tube of 1.2 m, about 13 mm across, weighing from 150 g for beginners to 600 g for advanced players, with darts of about 20 cm (traditional fukibari were 5 cm). Unlike Western blowguns it has no mouthpiece: the shooter keeps a seal with the lips. For home practice a 50 cm tube is used with the target 5 to 6 m away.

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?

A fukiya could also serve a ninja as a breathing tube or a straw.

More weapons

Spear-thrower (atlatl) Crossbow Javelin English longbow Yumi Sling

Sources

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

  1. Wikipedia — Fukiya
  2. Wikipedia — Blowgun