Kyudo is the ancient art of Japanese longbow archery. This art form originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. There are 3 methods of studying kyudo - ceremonial, sport, and meditative. The ceremonial practice focuses on the history of the art form, including military shooting. Those who practice kyudo as a sport try to hit the target as directly and as often as possible. The meditative practice focuses on the process - trying to master the steps and form. If one perfects their form, the target will always be hit.
As a kind gesture, I had one of the park moms help me to understand the schedule and how he can go for a lesson. I organized everything so he would have the ability to go. Then something came up. We didn't find another time for him to go as we got wrapped up in our adventures and filling our time with various other activities. Very quickly a lot of time had passed and he still hadn't gone to try it out.
Suddenly, last weekend, my husband announced he was ready to go to Kyudo and get a lesson. Luckily, the kyudo dojo offers free lessons on the first and third weekend of the month (after rental fees) to encourage people to try it out.
We wandered over to the dojo and were welcomed by a kind park employee. He showed my husband the vending machine for purchasing his rental fee ticket. For only ¥350 ($3), he could practice for one hour with rented equipment. Once secured, he introduced my husband to his instructor. The older woman took him back and gave him a three-fingered glove, a bow, and a couple different arrows. She then showed him to the shooting range.
The bow, or yumi, is typically over 6 feet tall. The exact height of the yumi depends on the archer's height. It is traditionally made of bamboo, wood, and leather.
The arrow, or ya, are usually made of bamboo. They used to have hawk or eagle feathers, but now use either swan or turkey feathers. I am surprised that they use turkey feathers here since turkeys are not popular birds here. They simply take up too much space!
She carefully explained to my husband that kyudo required full body participation and everything mattered. He needed to use his full concentration to achieve mastery of hitting the target. Right away, my husband realized this was a dojo focused on the meditative form of kyudo. He listened attentively as he learned the finer points and basic technique. Feet need to be very wide apart, the same as the length of your arrow. There is a whole dance of getting into position and actually firing the arrow. I was amazed to learn (after my husband's lesson) that when competing, the archer is "graded" on not hitting the target, but actually on how he performs this dance. If done correctly, the archer should always hit their target.
The hour long lesson left my husband a little blurry eyed. He had no idea that kyudo was so specific. It wasn't just about shooting a target. There were so many details to learn. When I asked if he would return, he wasn't sure. It was something that someone could not do casually. One must practice and focus in order to improve.
I was proud of him for trying something new. It was interesting. Even though he was the only person to try it, we all learned a lot.
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