Japanese warriors have used asymmetrical bows ("yumi") since perhaps the 3rd C. AD. These asymmetrical bows were typically 1:2, because these bows wanted to be very long (e.g., Robin Hood's band of merry men) , but Japanese warriors were too short (the armor I've seen seems to indicate 5'0" warriors). "the grip (nigiri) has to be positioned at about two thirds of the distance from the upper tip" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yumi So perhaps the ancient Japanese also discovered the trick of breaking spaghettos into 3 parts... If you're in the L.A. area anytime in the next few months, be sure to see the terrific showing of Japanese armor (including yumi bows) showing at LACMA -- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.