Kyudo - The Way of the Bow




The bow has always had a deep historical and cultural significance for the Japanese. Since earliest times the Japanese bow has served both the sacred and the functional. Its practical development has never diminished respect for its beauty and the simple elegance of its form. Even throughout its long history as a weapon of war the bow was still seen as a symbolic and aesthetic object.

When the bow became obsolete as a weapon the spiritual aspect of archery was developed as a discipline for peace and self-cultivation. This was achieved by uniting the vigour of the warrior tradition with the dignity of the ceremonial. As a path for personal growth and development, the concept of Reisetsu - respect for the other, became the moral discipline which united these two aspects and formed the foundation for the modern practice of Kyudo - the Way of the Bow.


This relationship between the spiritual and the practical still has a profound influence on the practice of kyudo. While competition and the sporting aspect is an essential part of training, at the higher levels of performance the act of shooting a bow and arrow is seen to express Beauty and Truth. 

In meeting desire, negative thoughts, and physical difficulties the practice of kyudo offers the individual the opportunity to meet their limitations, and to enjoy the challenge of this confrontation. One soon realises that the problems faced are not to be found in the bow, or the immovable target, but in oneself. If this is accepted and the practice is carried out sincerely then the energy of the shooting begins to enrich one's life.



Art of Shooting






Technique cannot be considered without an understanding of spiritual energy. Neither aspect can function without the other. The acquisition of technique grows with the increase in body-mind awareness to form a harmonious working together of the bow, body and spirit.

Balance is taken physically and emotionally from the centre of the body. Unlike a Western bow where the focus is primarily around the shoulders and arms, with the Japanese bow the centre of attention is placed in the region below the navel known as the Tanden. The vitality and energy of the body-mind is generated from this point, creating a sense of centred-ness and well being.

Each movement of the shooting is co-ordinated with the breath to flow in a continuity of action which forms an inseparable whole.

All the movements for shooting culminate in the full draw when the archer is physically and mentally, centred within the arc of the bow. In this condition all the physical and mental balances must be fulfilled to effect a correct release. At the higher levels of practice the archer attempts a release where the expansion of energy reach its highest point and the string is ripped from the glove hand in a spontaneous and natural action. The full draw and the release is the moment where the stability of the archer's physical, mental and spiritual state is most vulnerable. At this moment the target becomes the mirror of the archer's soul.

      
    
   
 
     





 Kyudo in the West



From the later part of the nineteenth century, an interest in things Japanese and oriental grew in the West. Between Europe and Japan this evolved beyond the stage of simple curiosity and exotic fascination to become a basis for solid scholastic interest and a growing exchange of information and ideas. In the 1930's the German philosopher, Eugene Herrigel, wrote his small classic "Zen in the Art of Archery" in which he related his own experience of studying kyudo in Japan. This book was to be the first introduction of kyudo into the West.

Herrigel's involvement in kyudo was singular for the time, and it was only in the post-war period, when a greater contact with Japan took place, that slowly individual Europeans came into contact with kyudo and brought their direct experience back with them to their own countries. Since these introductions in the late 1960's there has been a slow but gradual growth of interest, with now 15 European nations forming a European Kyudo Federation, and in 2006 the establishment of an international organization - The International Kyudo Federation (IKYF).

In Japan too, the period after the war saw the emergence of a fast growing modern state. Reflecting the new social changes. In 1949, a national kyudo federation was formed to promote and develop an understanding of kyudo within a modern context. While its focus as a discipline on altruistic and aesthetic values was seen as having meaning to deepen and enrich people's lives, it was also recognised that in emphasising its sporting aspect, it could gain popular involvement. Kyudo became part of the school curriculum, and is practised at club level in high schools and universities. The All Nippon Kyudo Federation, which has over half a million members in Japan, has supported the growth of Kyudo in the West. Kyudo masters from Japan visit Europe on a regular basis and, through their teaching, an authentic understanding of the practice is maintained.



As a part of the mutually enriching cultural interchange between East and West, kyudo has much to offer. Not only does it represent many threads of culture and tradition but it focuses on the fundamental aspects of the human condition. With a sporting aspect but not a sport, with a spiritual aspect but not a religion, as a physical discipline but with a powerful psychological and emotional power, kyudo is hard to frame within normal categories. But this diversity provides a means for balancing these very different dimensions of human life within a single activity. Especially in the West, where the mental, physical and spiritual aspects have become so dislocated, kyudo has a very special role to play.