Tou Hu (Tuho) Rules: How to Play & Keep Score

What is this game?

Tóu hú ("pitch-pot") is a classical Chinese throwing game: players toss slender, arrow-like sticks into a pot from a set distance and compare how many go in. The oldest record is in the Zuo Zhuan chronicle, under the twelfth year of Duke Zhao (530 BC), which describes the ruler of Jin playing tóu hú with the ruler of Qi at a banquet. In other words, it was already a banquet game in the Spring and Autumn period, more than 2,500 years ago.

The Confucian classic Liji (Book of Rites) has a chapter devoted to tóu hú. It sets out the size of the pot and arrows, the throwing distance, how to count the score, and even the words host and guest exchange before play. It is sometimes described as a simplified form of the archery ritual, and it was a game played with formal banquet etiquette.

On the Korean peninsula it is recorded from the Three Kingdoms period and was passed down as a pastime of the Goryeo and Joseon royal courts and nobility; in Korea it is called tuho. It reached Japan in the Nara period, and the Shosoin treasure house in Nara still holds a gilt bronze tóu hú pot with two ears.

Figure: The orange arrow from the throwing mark to the pot is the same length as two and a half dark grey arrows laid end to end, which makes the Liji's "two and a half arrows" easy to see. Not to scale.

Equipment & setup

Tóu hú needs very little gear, and setup takes almost no time. All you really need are the pot, a handful of arrows, and a few metres of flat, level space.

• The pot — a vessel with a long, narrow neck and a rounded body. In later periods, small tube-shaped ears were added on each side of the neck. For modern play, ceramic, wood, or metal all work
• Arrows — slim rods with no arrowhead. Bamboo or thin dowels work too; a light, blunt tip is safest
• A throwing mark — mark a spot "two and a half arrows" away from the pot with a line or a mat
• Something to keep score — pebbles, cards, or pen and paper. In the classical game, a thin counting stick (a "suan") was laid down for every arrow that went in
• Venue — indoor or outdoor both work. Choose a flat surface with nobody standing in the line of throw

For casual family play, a narrow-necked vase or a tall plastic bottle with chopsticks tossed into it is plenty of fun. A tall pot tips easily, so steady its base.

Court and equipment dimensions

Tóu hú has no official modern standard. The reference point is the tóu hú chapter of the Liji, and the table below is based on that text (only the number of arrows per round comes from a commentary in Heibonsha's World Encyclopedia). Because the length of the classical units (the chi and the cun, a tenth of a chi) changed over the centuries, we have not converted them to centimetres.

Item	In the Liji	Notes
Neck length	7 cun
Body length	5 cun
Mouth diameter	2.5 cun
Capacity	1 dou 5 sheng	A measure of volume
Filling	Red beans	Packed in so arrows don't bounce out
Distance to the pot	Two and a half arrow-lengths	Measured from the seat
Arrow length	Indoors 5 fu, in the hall 7 fu, in the courtyard 9 fu	1 fu is the width of four fingers. The bigger the space, the longer the arrow
Arrow wood	Cudrania or thorn wood	Used with the bark left on
Counting stick	1 chi 2 cun	One is laid down per arrow that goes in
Arrows per round	4 per player	Thrown in turn, and the round is played three times

What makes this neat is that the distance is 2.5 times the arrow length, so longer arrows mean a longer throw. As a worked example, a 60 cm arrow gives a distance of 150 cm.

Figure: The Liji's pot measurements. Green is the neck length (7 cun), dark grey the body length (5 cun), and orange the mouth diameter (2.5 cun). The dashed ears belong to pots of later periods and are not mentioned in the Liji. The width of the body is only indicative.

Players & ages

Format	Players	Notes
One on one	2	The host-and-guest form of the Liji
Two teams	About 4–8	In the Liji, the guest's side stands on the right and the host's side on the left
Everyone in turn	Any number	Good for families and events; keep each player's score

Because it needs almost no strength, children and seniors can play together, and you can even throw from a chair.

Rules

Tóu hú is all about landing slender arrows in the pot from a set distance. Learn the minimal rules below and you can play the same afternoon.

How a round works (minimal rules)

1. Place the pot on level ground and mark a throwing spot two and a half arrow-lengths away
2. Decide the order; each player takes the same number of arrows (four, for example)
3. From the mark, players take turns tossing one arrow at a time into the pot
4. Each arrow that goes in scores one point; at first, just count the arrows that land
5. Once everyone has thrown all their arrows, tally the scores; the highest total (player or team) wins the round
6. Play three rounds; whoever wins more rounds wins the game

At first, just focus on getting arrows into the mouth. Once that feels natural, add the standard rules below.

Standard rules (adding skill)

• Keep to your turn — in the Liji, only arrows thrown in proper order count as "in"; an arrow thrown out of turn, without waiting for the other side, is not counted
• Aim for the ears — later pots had ears on each side of the neck, and arrows landing in them also scored (according to the Nara National Museum's note on the Shosoin pot). Because they are narrower than the mouth, agreeing a higher value for them adds strategy
• The throw — don't muscle it. Use a soft wrist and a gentle arc so the arrow drops cleanly into the mouth
• Enjoy the etiquette — in the Liji, the host invites the guest with a modest "I have crooked arrows and a warped pot, but I would like to entertain you"; the guest declines twice and accepts the third time. Bowing before you throw is part of the charm

Official competition rules

Tóu hú has no international federation or national association with a unified rulebook. The reference is the classical procedure in the Liji:

• A master of ceremonies, the "sishe", measures out the pot's position, two and a half arrows from the seats
• The guest's side and the host's side throw in turn, and the sishe lays down a counting stick each time an arrow goes in
• When all arrows are thrown, the sticks are counted: two sticks make one "chun", and a leftover single stick is a "ji". The result is announced as "one side beats the other by so many chun"
• The winners pour wine for the losers, who drink
• Each win earns a marker called a "ma" (horse); over three contests, the side with more horses is congratulated
• Throughout, string players perform a piece called "Li Shou" at a steady pace

In later centuries, eared pots and systems that named and scored different ways of landing an arrow spread widely. In the Song dynasty, Sima Guang wrote New Rules for Pitch-Pot (Touhu Xinge) to bring the game back to the spirit of the old rites. Tóu hú still appears at cultural events in China, Taiwan, and Korea, but distances and arrow counts are set by each organizer.

Scoring examples

Here is how the Liji count (two sticks to one chun) works.

• Example 1: 7 against 5 — the guest's side lands 7 arrows, the host's side 5. The guests have 3 chun and 1 ji, the hosts 2 chun and 1 ji. The gap is two sticks, so it is announced that "the guests win by one chun", and the host's side drinks
• Example 2: 6 against 5 — when the gap is a single stick, the result is announced as "ji", a win by one
• Example 3: level — at 6 and 6, the announcement is "left and right are equal": a draw
• Example 4: an out-of-turn arrow — an arrow thrown when it wasn't your turn earns no counting stick, even if it goes in

Figure: Example 1. Green (the guests) has 7 sticks, or 3 chun and 1 ji; dark grey (the hosts) has 5, or 2 chun and 1 ji. The pair circled in green is the guests' winning margin of one chun.

Common fouls and tricky calls

The following are rulings recorded in the Liji, plus sensible conventions for modern play.

• Throwing out of turn — in the Liji, arrows thrown without waiting your turn don't count, even if they go in
• Bad manners — the Liji warns against arrogance, standing with your back turned, and speaking out of turn; anyone who breaks these rules drinks as a penalty
• Arrows that bounce out — the Liji packs the pot with red beans to stop this. If you play without them, agree beforehand that only arrows still in the pot at the end count
• Arrows hanging on the rim — the classical text doesn't say how to treat an arrow leaning on the rim without going in, so settle it before you start
• Stepping over the mark — since the distance is "two and a half arrows from the seat", it makes sense not to count arrows thrown from in front of the mark

Tips for enjoying the game

Common beginner mistakes

• Throwing too hard — the trajectory wobbles. Use a graceful wrist toss
• Trying to drop it straight down — arc the arrow into the mouth instead
• Going for the ears too soon — master the central opening first

How to make it more fun

• Borrow the classical penalty: the winners pour juice or tea for the losers, which captures the courteous spirit of the game
• Wear traditional clothing for festival photos
• Lay down a chopstick for every hit, then pair them up at the end and announce "we win by so many chun" for a taste of the classical count

Age variations

• Kids: shorten the distance and start with a wide-mouthed container
• Seniors: play seated, at a relaxed pace
• Events: New Year gatherings, or festivals introducing Chinese or Korean culture

Playing Tóu Hú in Japan

• Everyday gear — a plastic bottle and disposable chopsticks work fine. A little rice or beans inside keeps the bottle upright and stops arrows bouncing out
• Compare it with tosenkyo — tosenkyo, a Japanese game of throwing a folding fan to knock a target off its stand, is said to have been devised in 1773, in the Edo period, in imitation of tóu hú. Try the two side by side
• See the Shosoin pot — the Nara National Museum's glossary for its annual Shosoin exhibition describes the shape of the Shosoin's tóu hú pot

Frequently asked questions

Q. How many arrows do you need to win?

There is no target score. Everyone throws the same number of arrows, and whoever lands more wins. The Liji counted two sticks as one chun and announced the result as a margin in chun. For casual play, comparing totals over three rounds is plenty.

Q. How far away do you throw from?

The Liji says two and a half arrow-lengths, or 2.5 times the length of the arrows you use; with 60 cm arrows, that is 150 cm. Children and beginners can start closer.

Q. Is tuho the same game as tou hu?

Yes. Tuho (투호) is the Korean name for the same pot-throwing game. It is recorded on the Korean peninsula from the Three Kingdoms period and was played at the Goryeo and Joseon royal courts, so the basic idea of tossing arrows into a narrow-necked pot is the same in both traditions.

Q. Can you play on grass?

Yes. Lawns are bumpy, though, so set the pot on a board or tray to keep it level and stop it tipping. With a light container, add sand or beans as ballast.

Q. What age can kids start?

There is no age rule. If a child can toss a stick, they can play. Use light, blunt arrows and a wide-mouthed container placed close by, and even small children can enjoy getting one in.

Q. What can I use instead of a pot and arrows?

A narrow-necked vase, a tall plastic bottle, or a tea canister makes a good pot. Chopsticks, cooking chopsticks, or thin dowels work as arrows. Keep the number and length of arrows the same for everyone so the contest is fair.

Learn more

• The Liji, tóu hú chapter (Chinese Wikisource, original text) — the classical source
• Nara National Museum, Shosoin Exhibition glossary: tóu hú — the Shosoin pot
• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture: tuho (Academy of Korean Studies) — the game's history in Korea
• National Folk Museum of Korea webzine: tuho feature — tuho at the Goryeo and Joseon courts
• Related: Wanage (Japanese ring toss), Ladder golf, and Pétanque — fellow target throwing games