The Tong Ah: A Small Tool With a Remarkable History

Among the many innovations developed by historical archers, few are as fascinating as the tong ah—an arrow guide designed to launch extremely short arrows that would otherwise be too short to draw safely by hand. By extending the arrow’s effective support along the bow, the tong ah allowed archers to use lightweight darts capable of achieving remarkable speeds and distances.

Historical records from Korea describe the use of the tong ah, while similar devices appeared across Asia and the Middle East under various names and designs such as the “navak” or “majra”. Although the construction differed from culture to culture, the principle remained the same: use an arrow guide to safely shoot specialized short arrows that could travel farther or faster than conventional shafts.

The tong ah was more than a sporting curiosity. Historical sources indicate that variations of the arrow guide were also employed in warfare by several cultures, including the Saracens during the medieval period, where similar devices enabled the use of short, high-velocity arrows in combat. These compact projectiles offered practical advantages—they were easier to carry in greater numbers, could be launched at impressive speed, and may have surprised opponents unfamiliar with the technology.

Stories from the manuals such as “Saracen Archery” speak of using these to shoot “iron needles” that were heated for shield and armor penetration. There are also stories of these being used to return crossbow bolts to enemy soldiers should arrow supplies run low. While many of these stories are just that, we cannot deny this unique device had many variation seen throughout Asia that leads one to believe there had to be something to this technology.

While their exact battlefield roles varied between cultures and surviving evidence is limited, the widespread appearance of arrow guides across Eurasia demonstrates that military archers were continually experimenting with ways to improve the performance of the bow. The tong ah reminds us that innovation has always been part of archery’s history, proving that even a simple accessory could significantly expand the capabilities of a skilled archer.