Touhu – The Elegant Game of Noble Scholars

Touhu was a throwing game played by nobles and officials at banquets in ancient China. It was a special form of entertainment that combined ritual and fun.

Back in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, one of the social rules at noble feasts was that guests had to shoot arrows with bows when invited by the host. Guests could not refuse, and for an adult man, not knowing how to shoot was considered shameful.

But by the late Spring and Autumn period, many nobles had grown soft and out of practice — they were no longer proficient in archery. Besides, banquets were often held indoors, in halls or courtyards, where archery was not practical. Scholars came up with a clever solution: use a wine jug as the target and throw arrow shafts without tips into it. They called this new game touhu, which means throwing into the jug. Over time, touhu replaced archery as the go-to game at banquets.

Each player held four tip-less arrows and stood at a set distance from the jug, taking turns throwing them in. To make it harder, the jug was sometimes filled with small, slippery beans. If a player threw too hard, the arrow would bounce right back out. Four throws made one round, and each match had three rounds. The player with the most hits won, while the loser had to drink wine as a penalty.

During the Warring States period, touhu grew even more popular. Scholars at that time valued inner cultivation and self-discipline, and this game — calm, graceful and full of proper manners — suited their tastes perfectly.