Kyudo

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A full draw, called "kai".
A full draw, called "kai".

Kyūdō (弓道:きゅうどう?), literally meaning "way of the bow", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō).

It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyūdō today. Kyudo is practised by both men and women, both young and eldery. Kyudo is a rare sport in the sense that one can master the art at 90 or even 100 years of age.

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[edit] Purpose of Kyūdō

In its most pure form, kyūdō is practiced as an art and as a means of moral and spiritual development. Many archers practice kyūdō as a sport, with marksmanship being paramount. However, the goal most devotees of kyūdō seek is seisha seichu, "correct shooting is correct hitting". In kyūdō the unique action of expansion (nobiai) that results in a natural release, is strived for. When the spirit and balance of the shooting is correct the result will be for the arrow to arrive in the target. To give oneself completely to the shooting is the spiritual goal. In this respect, many kyūdō practitioners believe that competition, examination, and any opportunity that places the archer in this uncompromising situation is important, while other practitioners will avoid competitions or examinations of any kind.

[edit] Kyūdō practice

Kyudo is practised in different schools and styles and even between dojos of the same style the form of practice can vary. Here an example of one possible practice form.

A practitioner will begin with seiza (traditional sitting position) followed by mokuso (meditation).

The practitioner may shoot at a specially designed straw target called makiwara (not to be confused with makiwara used in karate). The makiwara is shot at from a very close range (about seven feet, or the length of the archer's strung yumi when held horizontally from the centerline of his body). Because the target is so close and the shot most certainly will hit, the archer can concentrate on refining his technique rather than on worrying about where the arrow will go.

After warming up, the archer may then move on to shooting at a target called a mato. Mato sizes and shooting distances vary, but most mato typically measure thirty-six centimeters (or 12 sun, a traditional Japanese measurement equivalent to approximately 3.03cm) in diameter and are shot at from a distance of twenty-eight meters. However depending on the practitioners skill level, they may be asked to shoot from half or three-quarters distance.

Typically the first round of shooters will fire two arrows in seated practice (zasha) before shooting from the standing position (risha)

[edit] Kyūdō equipment

The yumi (Japanese bow) is exceptionally tall (standing over two meters), surpassing the height of the archer (kyūdōka). Yumi are traditionally made of bamboo, wood and leather using techniques which have not changed for centuries, although some archers (particularly, those new to the art) may use synthetic (i.e. laminated wood coated with glassfiber or carbon fiber) yumi. Even advanced kyūdōka may own non-bamboo yumi and ya due to the vulnerability of bamboo equipment to extreme climates.

Ya (arrow) shafts were traditionally made of bamboo, with either eagle or hawk feathers. Most ya shafts today are still made of bamboo (although some archers will use shafts made of aluminum or carbon fibers), and ya feathers are now obtained from non-endangered birds such as turkeys or swans. Every ya has a gender (male ya are called haya; female ya, otoya); being made from feathers from alternate sides of the bird, the haya spins clockwise upon release while the otoya spins counter-clockwise. Kyūdō archers usually shoot two ya per round, with the haya being shot first. The alternate feathers affect the flight of the arrow so that two identically shot arrows will not collide and break but hit next to each other,

The kyūdō archer wears a glove on the right hand called a yugake. There are many varieties of yugake, they are typically made of deerskin. Practitioners can choose between a hard glove (with a hardened thumb) or a soft glove (without a hardened thumb), there are different advantages to both.

With a hard glove, the thumb area is not very flexable and has a pre-made groove used to pull the string (tsuru). With a soft glove, the thumb area is very flexable and is without a pre-made groove, allowing the practitioner to create their own, based on their own shooting habits.

Typically a yugake will be of the three or four finger variety. The amount of fingers on the glove is dependent on the school of kyudo and the weight of the bow being pulled. Three finger yugake are usually used with bows below 20 pounds, while four finger yugake are used with bows above 20 pounds. Though rare, it is not unheard of for archers to use one finger or five finger gloves. Some schools, such as Heki-ryū Insai-ha only use the three fingered glove, even with bows above 40 pounds. A practitioners knock and grip of the arrow can be dictated by the glove and bow they are using. It is not uncommon for practitioners who have upgraded or downgraded bow weight to continue to use the same glove and not change.

[edit] Kyūdō technique

All kyūdō archers hold the bow in their left hand and draw the string with their right, so that all archers face the higher position (kamiza) while shooting.

Unlike occidental archers (who, with some exceptions, draw the bow never further than the cheek bone), kyūdō archers draw the bow so that the drawing hand is held behind the ear. If done improperly, upon release the string may strike the archer's ear or side of the face.

Immediately after the shot is released, the bow will (for a practised archer) spin in the hand so that the string stops in front of the archer's outer forearm. This action of "yugaeri" is a combination of technique and the natural working of the bow. It is unique to kyūdō.

Kyūdō technique is meticulously prescribed. The All Nippon Kyudo Federation (ANKF), the main governing body of kyūdō in Japan, has codified the hassetsu (or "eight stages of shooting") in the Kyudo Kyohon (Kyudo Manual). The hassetsu consists of the following steps:

  1. Ashibumi, placing the footing. The archer steps on to the line from where arrows are fired (known as the shai) and turns to face the kamiza, so that the left side of his body faces the target. He then sights from the target to his feet and sets his feet apart so that the distance between them is approximately half his body height. A line drawn between the archer's toes should pass through the target after the completion of the ashibumi.
  2. Dozukuri, forming the body. The archer verifies his balance and that his pelvis and the line between his shoulders are parallel to the line set up during ashibumi.
  3. Yugamae, readying the bow. Yugamae consists of three phases:
    1. Torikake, gripping of the bowstring with the right hand.
    2. Tenouchi, the left hand is positioned for shooting on the bow's grip.
    3. Monomi, the archer turns his head to gaze at the target.
  4. Uchiokoshi, raising the bow. The archer raises the bow above his head to prepare for the draw.
  5. Hikiwake, drawing apart. The archer starts bringing down the bow while spreading his arms, simultaneously pushing the bow with his left hand and drawing the string with the right, until the arrow is level with his eyebrows.
  6. Kai, the full draw. The archer continues the movement started in the previous phase, until he reaches full draw with the arrow placed slightly below his cheekbone. The arrow points along the line set up during ashibumi.
  7. Hanare, the release. The bowstring is released from the right hand.
  8. Zanshin, "the remaining body or mind" or "the continuation of the shot". The archer remains in the position reached after hanare while returning from the state of concentration associated with the shot.

While other schools' shooting also conforms to the hassetsu outlined above, the naming of some steps and some details of the execution of the shot may differ.

[edit] Kyūdō rankings

Using a system which is common to modern budō (martial art) practices, most kyūdō schools periodically hold examinations, which, if the archer passes, results in the conveying of a grade, which can be kyū or dan level. Traditional schools, however, often rank students as a recognition of attaining instructor status using the older menkyo (license) system of koryū budō.

While kyūdō's kyū and dan levels are similar to those of other budō practices, colored belts or similar external symbols of one's level are not worn by kyūdō practitioners.

[edit] Major traditions

[edit] Kyūdō in Popular Culture

Shimada Kambei in 7 Samurai film
Shimada Kambei in 7 Samurai film

[edit] See also

  • Budō
  • Gendai budō
  • Yabusame Japanese archery involving riding a horse
  • Heki Danjo Masatsugu founder of Heki-ryū school, part of the basis of modern day kyūdō

[edit] References

  • Hoff, Feliks (2002). Kyudo: The Way of the Bow, 1st ed., Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-852-1. 
  • Kyudo Manual. (1992?) Volume 1. Principles of Shooting (revised edition). All Nippon Kyudo Federation.. 
  • Triplett, Christoper and Triplett, Katja. Kyudo - Standing Zen. Retrieved on 2006-03-14.

[edit] External links

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