National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

All the arrow shafts (Yagara) are made by forming bamboo straight and spraying them with lacquer.
The Rokume-kabura-ya arrow has a Kabura (a turnip-shaped whistle) with six holes which is made of horn, on which a large triangular pointed arrowhead called a Togarine is fixed. The Hazu for fitting the arrow on a bowstring is made of tusk. In the "Gohomotsu-zue" (Illustration of Imperial Treasures), this rokume-kabura-ya is referred to as "the arrow which shot Moriya-no Oomi."
The arrow has a pestle-shaped part made of horn that is 1.6 cm in diameter on its point, on which deep slits are made. This type of arrow is called Itatsuki, as a chisel-shaped steel piece was inserted in the slits for tipping the head, although this piece has been lost.
All five arrows of the same form have a small triangular arrowhead. They seem to be the ones referred to in the "The Record of Imperial Bequest to Todai-ji Temple (Todai-ji Kenmotsu-cho)" as "Mikado-no-kotsumagake." It is found that a little gold powder was sprinkled over the Kuchimaki (the wrappings of the arrow next to the head) and Ura-hagi (the top wrapping that fastens the quill of the feathers onto the shaft), which were lacquered in black. From the spots where the feathers are lost, it can be seen that these are Mitate-ba arrows (three-feather fetching).