WHOA!!! 
This bow is magnificent!! Your friend has done very well, great tiller and finish on that bow!
Couple of questions I have, is it reflexed when unstrung looking similar to horn bow but less reflex? I believe I see wood in core, do you know what it is? Is core pre-tapered or is it done different way? Again great bow, you should be proud of your friend. 
-Alex
alex! - picture below shows a sketch of this bow's cross section; wood and bamboo components of the core can be varied and will lead to different qualities in the bow. even the amount of set the bow takes can be varied by choosing different woods.
core components are tapered before glueing, so that the sidestripes don't run out towards the tips.
the finished core is tapered; the bamboo is worked down to zero on the sides so it tapers also.
these bows get glued up using rope and wedges; that's the japanese way of doing that.
after glueing up, they are bend down over a bending jig to teach the limbs how to bend; no further tillering is done.
i just come from shooting the bow at the club for two hours straight; it shows two inches of reflex right after unbracing.
frank
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