kaan ying thanoo (การยิงธนู)

Thai. ‘Archery’. Archery is one of the main skills that kings and warriors of the past had to master, both as a weapon in combat and for hunting. In Indian tradition, where it is known as dhanurveda, which literally means ‘knowledge (veda) of the bow (dhanu)’, it was chief among the Twelve Arts, a number of skills in which warriors and princes had to prove themselves. In China, archery dates back to the Shang Dynasty and in iconography historical Chinese warriors are often depicted carrying a bow in a special adorned sheath (fig.) hanging from their belt (fig.). The subsequent Zhou Dynasty saw contests of archery being held in the presence of nobility, similar to the tradition organized by the Indian Kshatriya. In Hindu mythology, it is a weapon associated with several deities, including Rama (in Thai called Narai), Arjuna, Lakshmana and Bharata, and in Chinese mythology, it is the weapon of both the immortal Houyi, the god of archery and husband of the lunar deity Chang-e, and Zhou Tong the Archer. Today archery is an official sport (fig.) at the SEA Games (fig.) and the Asian Games, as well as a discipline at the International Olympic Games. Also transcribed gahn ying thanu and kahn ying dhanu. See also dhanus, yoksorn and Narai plaeng son. See also Institute of Physical Education. 回