Kyudo means

The Way of the Bow

In kyudo, people work with a more than man-sized, asymmetrical arch made of two layers of bamboo and a core of bamboo and hardwood. This bow is called yumi. The yumi is made by Kanjuro Shibata XXI Sensei, our teacher and arch master of the Japanese imperial court. He is one of the very few yumi makers in the world who still works entirely by hand. In addition to the yumi and ya (arrow), a kake (shooting glove) is required. All equipment is preferably made of natural materials.

The end of each shot consists of a number of predefined postures (Shichido), some of which are shown below. No position is more important than the others; in all you take time to be mindful of your body and your immediate surroundings. The aim is to train value-free attention. Kanjuro Shibata XX Sendai said: ‘Kyudo is for developing a good heart.’

At Shichido, practice targets are shot at a distance of 2.5m. There is also a long-distance form (Hitote), in which the target is placed against a sand wall (azuchi) at 28 metres. This form includes more movements and stances, can be performed either kneeling or standing, and has a special ceremonial beauty.