Pretty neat stuff eh? If you order from a direct manufacturer they can obtain longer shafts although it could cost extra. But I would just make my own cane/bamboo shafting. as far as I knwo the fletching is quite similar to normal fletcing style. I have noticed they're feathers are long and low profile though. I had the opportunity to shoot a yumi bow and man they are sweet shooting but is kinda scary seeing the archer almost take his ear off.

 

i've shot a yumi a few times, and i know two people who have their own yumis. it's quite interesting. it's actually a martial art called Kyudo, The Way Of The Bow. they say it take ten years to master proper grip. it's a very precise form of shooting that takes place in... six steps i believe. personally i'd suggest finding a good book or two about it first. i myself would never shoot a yumi as a bow. i'd shoot it as part of the art of Kyudo. but to answer your questions:

yes it's hard to master. like i said, it's said to take close to ten years to master the grip alone. that is if you want to learn the proper form of the martial art.

i don't know about the maintenance of a yumi

yes, the fletching is different. you'd fletch sets of two arrows, one arrow say right helical, and the other straight or left helical. this stems from the belief that two perfectly shot arrows will never hit each other when fletched opposite to each other

i don't know much about like and sites and such, but i'm sure you'll find good info through thorough research

for arrows shafts of that length, i'd ask at my local pro shop or contact Easton or Gold Tip or whatever company you buy your arrows from

 

Thanks alot on the info guys! Did contact Easton regarding the arrows but it is very expensive - roughly $115+ for a dozen of 2016 with 35" long and if the shaft is bamboo - roughly $12 each! My friend ordered the YUMI from http://www.asahi-archery.co.jp/

The prices are pretty decent for the bow but not the arrows and glove...lol!

Cant wait to shoot it.:wink:

 

Hey my friend u started a thread without inviting me? :wink:
For u guys out there who shoots traditional, u guys might b interested in Yumi, it has a very distinctive & different shooting style. Instead of using fingers it primarily uses ur thumb to shoot, much like most asian bows. The way of Kyudo is unique in the way you draw the bow, anchor it & shoot it. Which is why I got interested enough 2 buy 1 even though I never shot 1. (but I did some extensive research on it though)

Guide-line on yumi bows, there are 3 types of modern yumi each with pros & cons
fiberglass yumi - easiest to master, low maintainence, lacks power.
carbon yumi - more powerful, low maintainence, harder to master.
bamboo yumi (take yumi) - classical, powerful & responsive, hard to maintain, hard to master, requires a few backup 2 shoot so u won't 'fatigue' any of them, most expensive.

yumi also comes in different size for different sized archers :
< 150 cm Sanzun-tsumari (212 cm) (bow length)
150 - 165 cm Namisun (221 cm)
165 - 180 cm Nisun-nobi (227 cm)
180 - 195 cm Yonsun-nobi (233 cm)
195 - 205 cm Rokusun-nobi (239 cm)
> 205 cm Hassun-nobi (245 cm)

for arrows u measure the tip of ur hand (left hand for righty, right hand for lefty archers) to middle of ur chest, the measurement + 5cm is usually the arrow length.


BTW here is the beauty I ordered.

To any 1 interested here are 2 good websites for getting a yumi :-
www.sambu-kyugu.com -
offers bows & alot of equipment but most bows r 20kg (44lbs) or under

www.asahi-archery.co.jp -
offers less equipment but bows up to 24kg(52lbs) r available

 

I aslo found one on www.woodbows.com for $120.

 

I just love that asymmetrical limb look and have always been intrigued by those bows.

But ten years to master the correct grip!!

I thought HH longbows were hard enough.

Make sure to post some impressions when you recieve the bow and mess around with it.

Sure seems like a unique experience.