Equiptment: Yoichi's Bow

Yoichi's Bow: Recurring high tier bow

Appearances: FFII, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFXI, FFXII, FFIV

Yoichi prepares to shoot the fan

The Yoichi's Bow is named after Yoichi Munetaka, a famous archer from the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike). In the Final Fantasy games this bow has always been a high tier weapon. During the earlier games it was the best bow available while in the later games it's top spot has been usurped by other bows.

The Heike Monogatari is a tale set at the fall of the Heian period and the begining of the Kamakura period in the 12th century. It is not a straight historical monograph of events but rather a dramatized retelling much like the historical dramas of today. The tale revolves around the contendings of the Heike and Genji clans. The former had become 'soft' in the eyes of the Genji, like the very courtiers that the Heike had overthrown. The Genji were far more militarily minded than the Heikie. In the end it was the Genji who won,  ushering in the Kamakura period with Samurai upperclass. 

In  the Heike Monogatari Yoichi only appears in one section during chapter V, one of the more well know sections of the tale. The Genji rebels had set up camp on the beach with a flotilla of Heike ships moored in the bay. Towards evening a lone plain vessel approaches shore. In it is a maiden who attaches a fan to a pole before raising it up high. The soldiers on the shore assume it is a challenge of skill. Yoshitsune, leader of the Genji, calls for the best archer. Yoichi is brought forward. He is young, barely twenty years of age and short of stature. So he rides into the waves to take the shot. By now the wind and the waves have picked up. The target is 450 or 70 feet distant, either one no mean feet to hit in those conditions. Yet Yoichi lets fly his arrow, it soar through the air and hit true. The fan is knocked off the pole soaring high into the air to the sound of cheering on both sides. An old man come on deck to dance in celebration of this amazing feat. One of the generals orders Yoichi to take out the old man which, not wanting to show disloyalty, he does. Many regarded this as a bit of a dick move.

There is an excellent translation and commentary of the Heike Monogatari by A.L. Saddler available on the Internet Archieve here

Yoichi's Bow, FFXII