Ya (arrow)
Ya (矢, arrow) is the Japanese word for arrow, and commonly refers to the arrows used in Kyudo (弓道, Japanese archery). Ya also refers to the arrows used by samurai during the feudal era of Japan. Unlike Western arrows, the ya is close to a metre long or longer. Traditional ya are made from natural materials, while modern ones may use aluminium.
Parts of the ya
No (shaft)
The no are made from yadake bamboo and can have different shapes – straight, or tapering – depending on the use of the arrow in long-distance shooting or target practice. Lighter arrows can lose their stability when shot from a strong bow, heavier arrows have a trajectory that arcs more. Typically they use bamboo from the Kanto area. This is for a purely practical reason. Bamboo will not grow fast enough in a cold area, and the joints are too close together and in a warm area the bamboo grows too fast and the joints are too far apart. So the Kanto area has a moderate climate which makes the joints the perfect distance apart.The joints of your shaft help with the balance. After harvesting bamboo it still changes size and shape, so you have to wait 2 ½ to 3 years after cutting it to use it. When it has aged the proper time the bamboo should provide a good tight grip around the tang of your Yanone. They would temper the bamboo in a special kiln similar to the Viking beehive style and straighten it with a tool called a tomegi, or "tree tame," which is also used when creating bamboo fishing pools. The appearance of the No varies. Some were plain, while others glistened with red lacquer. The proper length is measured from the archer's throat to five centimeters beyond the tip of the outstretched left hand.
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures. An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.
History
The oldest evidence of stone-tipped projectiles, which may or may not have been propelled by a bow (c.f. atlatl), dating to c. 64,000 years ago, were found in Sibudu Cave, South Africa. The oldest evidence of the use of bows to shoot arrows dates to about 10,000 years ago; it is based on pinewood arrows found in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg. They had shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow. The oldest bow so far recovered is about 8,000 years old, found in the Holmegård swamp in Denmark. Archery seems to have arrived in the Americas with the Arctic small tool tradition, about 4,500 years ago.
Size
Arrow sizes vary greatly across cultures, ranging from eighteen inches to five feet (45 cm to 150 cm). However, most modern arrows are 75 centimetres (30 in) to 96 centimetres (38 in); most war arrows from an English ship sunk in 1545 were 76 centimetres (30 in). Very short arrows have been used, shot through a guide attached either to the bow (an "overdraw") or to the archer's wrist (the Turkish "siper"). These may fly farther than heavier arrows, and an enemy without suitable equipment may find himself unable to return them.
Arrow (train)
The Arrow was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, Nebraska. It operated from 1926 until 1967. The Arrow provided overnight service between the two cities and included through cars for other destinations in Iowa.
History
The Milwaukee Road introduced the Arrow in August of 1926, replacing two previous services: the Omaha Limited (Chicago–Omaha) and Sioux City Limited (Chicago–Sioux City). The new train served both Omaha and Sioux City (for Sioux Falls, South Dakota), splitting in Manilla, Iowa. Through connections with other trains the Arrow also carried Chicago–Des Moines, Iowa and Milwaukee, Wisconsin–Omaha sleeping cars (via the Southwest Limited). The train made the run between Chicago and Omaha in 13 hours and 20 minutes. In 1934 the Milwaukee Road extended the Arrow over the Big Sioux River to Sioux Falls.
The Omaha sleeping car ended in early 1955, was reinstated later that year when the Milwaukee Road began handling the Union Pacific Railroad's Overland Route trains, and ended for good in 1958. Between 1956–1959 the Arrow carried a Chicago–Los Angeles coach which it exchanged in Omaha. The Sioux Falls section, including the train's last sleeping cars, ended on September 17, 1965. All that remained of the Arrow was a Chicago–Omaha coach train, which the Milwaukee Road discontinued on October 5, 1967.
Arrow (Israeli missile)
The Arrow or Hetz (Hebrew: חֵץ, pronounced [ˈχet͡s]) is a family of anti-ballistic missiles designed to fulfill an Israeli requirement for a theater missile defense system that would be more effective against ballistic missiles than the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile. Jointly funded and produced by Israel and the United States, development of the system began in 1986 and has continued since, drawing some contested criticism. Undertaken by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, it is overseen by the Israeli Ministry of Defense's "Homa" (Hebrew: חומה, pronounced [χoma], "rampart") administration and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
The Arrow system consists of the joint production hypersonic Arrow anti-missile interceptor, the Elta EL/M-2080 "Green Pine" early-warning AESA radar, the Elisra "Golden Citron" ("Citron Tree") C3I center, and the Israel Aerospace Industries "Brown Hazelnut" ("Hazelnut Tree") launch control center. The system is transportable, as it can be moved to other prepared sites.
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