Kyudo (Japanese archery)

I have to say first of all, I have never done Kyudo (Japanese archery : "Kyudo" is pronounced "kyuh-doh"). While my son who did Kyudo was a junior high school student, I had to go to Kyudo hall together, then, I watched the practice or asked about Kyudo to Kyudo-lovers and rank holders. Here, I will write my impressions and what I learned.

What to wear are Dougi (a uniform), Hakama (Japanese formal divided skirt), Yugake (glove for Japanese archery), etc. : 着用するものは道着と袴、弽など

What I feel to watch the practice of Kyudo are "rationality" and "beauty".

The bow used on Kyudo has very simple form. It has no apparatus for suppressing recoil of bowstring and no sighting. Instead of them, Kyudo archers parry the recoil of bowstring by holding the part of one third below the bow, and aim the target by looking through Nigiri (the part to hold the bow), I hear.

The action for pulling a bow is also rational. Starting on footsteps to the standing position in the shooting range, setting an arrow on a string, lifting a bow with an arrow up, pulling a string (with an arrow), shooting an arrow, seeing the whereabouts of the arrow : This determined action is called "Shaho-Hassetsu" (8 steps for shooting an arrow in Kyudo). If they can do this correctly, Kyudo archers can pull a bow without extra load on their body and can make a form for shooting an arrow to the target naturally, they say.

I cannot explain about forms and actions for shooting an arrow in Kyudo because I have not do Kyudo, but I know that the skillful Kyudo archer's "Sha (form and action and readiness for shooting an arrow)" is very beautiful. A standing form, a form of holding a bow and an arrow, action from lifting up to pulling a string, Kai (a form for aiming the target with pulling a string), action of the moment of shooting an arrow and Zanshin (a form of watching whereabout of an arrow with having conciousness), and also entrance and exit in the shooting range : all of these let us impress how beautiful with no waste they are.

All of Kyudo lovers just earnestly repeat practice of "Shaho-Hassetsu" (with no matter what about age, gender, nationality and ranking). Kyudo has no passive form and no special technique but has only "Shaho-Hassetsu", and after learning it, Kyudo archers repeat practice of it by theirselves. Adjusting of footing for stabilizing the body, setting the center of gravity for stabilizing the aim, adjusting the back muscle, adjusting arm angle, how to hold a bow, how to put an arrow on a bow : all of these, Kyudo archers look for and find and acquire by theirselves. If they can't understand or are comfused about their own practice, they could ask a higher rankers, but it's up to practices by themselves to acquier what they have been taught.

Kyudo lovers' practice that they trial and error to acquire better "Sha", to the layman's eye, looks like only repeating the fixed "Shaho-Hassetsu". Also, no matter how high their hit rate is, if they cannot have done "Shaho-Hassetsu", Kyudo lovers are not convinced and practice more and more to aim idealer "Sha". Their attitudes are very stoic just like Zen training, I feel.

Because they can do Kyudo alone, not few Kyudo lovers practice alone, but all of them cherish cooperativeness very much. It is very dangerous because of causing accidents or injuries that they do Kyudo without cooperativeness. Therefore, to do practices and matches safely, there are many rules for using Kyudo hall and tools of Kyudo, and not only Kyudo lovers but visitors and collaborators have to adhere to them.

By saying "have to adhere to many rules", you may think that Kyudo has only robust rules. Surely Kyudo has robust rules, but all of them are needed for everyone's safety management, and by strict adherence we can naturally enjoy Kyudo safely and smoothly; these are very rational. Kyudo lovers understand these and adhere to rules of course, and as a result, all activities in Kyudo hall are advanced cooperatively and rationally. Such a scene is also no waste and beautiful.

even near one, the target looks far and small : 近的でも的が遠く小さく見えます

the far target is farther : 遠的はさらに遠いです

a scene of practice for shooting the far target : 遠的練習中の様子

If we actually do Kyudo, we will get good posture, cooperativeness and relationship with people of different generation.

More than that, we will get perseverance, perhaps, I think.

In Kyudo, the near target is 28 meters away, the far taget is 60 meters away. For aiming them and hitting an arrow, Kyudo archers need not only physical strength and muscle strength but also mental strength. Even if the aim is only slightly off when of pulling the string of the bow, when the arrow reaches Azuchi (earthwork where the target is set on), the arrow may hit tens of centimeters off the center of the target. Therefore, Kyudo archers concentrate very much when they start to "Sha", shoot an arrow using all of their body and spirit, look back on everytime, and start the next "Sha".

I often used to watch Kyudo while one time, I didn't understand the difference of each "Sha". Even if I understand some difference in posture of each Kyudo lover, because changing of "Sha" of each of them is really subtle, it is very difficult that an amateur like me can distinguish it. Moreover, when I got forgiveness to stand at the shooting position in Kyudo hall and looked at the target, because it looked so far and small, I couldn't really want to aim for it.

"That's why I'm happy when my arrow hits on the target and it will be fun to practice."

Every Kyudo lover I know, including my son, says me that. They all have a refreshing smile when they say so, every time I remember them, I think "there are surely no bad guys who love Kyudo".

Click here for the official site of All Nippon Kyudo Federation.

＊＊＊ in Japanese ＊＊＊

弓道

　あらかじめ申し上げておきますと、私自身は弓道をやっていません。息子が中学生の頃に付き添いとして弓道場に通い、練習風景を見学したり、弓道家諸氏に教えていただいたりしていました。そうして得た知識と感想をご紹介します。

　私が弓道を見学していて感じるのは、「合理性」と「美しさ」です。
　弓道で使う弓は、とてもシンプルな形状をしています。弦の反動を抑える装置も、照準器も、ついていません。その代わり、握りの位置を弓の下から約３分の１の位置にすることで反動を腕から逸らせたり、握りを経ての的の見え方などで狙いを合わせるのだそうです。
　弓を引く動作も、とても合理的です。射場の立ち位置につく時の足運びから始まり、矢を番え、弓を打ち起こし、弦を引き分けていき、矢を放ち、その行方を見届けるまでの決められた所作を「射法八節」と呼びます。これをきちんと行うと、体に無理な負荷をかけずに弓を引けるし、自然と矢が的へと飛ぶように構えられるそうです。
　私は弓を引いたことがないので射における体の使い方などは詳しく説明できませんが、熟練の弓道家の射がとても美しいことはわかります。立ち方、弓矢の構え方、掲げてから引き分けるまでの動作、矢を放つ直前の的を見据える姿勢（会）、矢を放った瞬間から見届けるまでの姿（残心）、射場への入退場に到るまで、無駄のない美しさとはこういうものなのかと感動するほどです。
　弓道家は皆一様に（年齢・性別・国籍・段位など一切問わず）、ただひたすらに射法八節を繰り返し練習します。弓道には受け身も特別な技もなく、射法八節だけがあり、それを教わったら、あとは自力で繰り返し練習します。体を支えるのに適切な足の開き具合、狙いを安定させる重心のかけ方、背筋の伸ばし具合、腕の角度、弓の持ち方、矢の番え方などは、自分で探し、見つけ、会得していきます。判らない時や迷った時には上段者に教えを乞うこともありますが、その教えを身につけられるかは自力での練習次第です。
　より良い射を目指して試行錯誤するという弓道家の練習は、傍目には一定の射法八節の繰り返しにしか見えません。また、どんなに的中率が高くても、射法八節に則っていなければ納得せず、より理想的な射を求めてさらに練習を積みます。その姿はとてもストイックで、まるで禅修行のようだと私には感じられます。
　練習は単独でもできるので一人で練習する弓道家は少なくありませんが、どなたも同時に協調性をとても大切になさっています。協調することなく弓道を行うのは、怪我や事故に繋がり、とても危険です。そのため、練習も試合も安全に行えるよう、弓道場や弓具を使う際には決まりごとが多数あり、見学者や協力者も含めて、その決まりごとを厳守します。
　「決まりごとを厳守する」という言葉を使うと、堅苦しい規制ばかりに感じられるかもしれません。確かに堅苦しい規制ではありますが、どれも安全管理に必要な事柄であり、守ることで自然に弓道を安全かつ潤滑に楽しむことができるという、とても合理的なものなのです。弓道家はそれを理解していて、当然厳守し、結果、弓道場内のあらゆる活動が協調的かつ合理的に進行します。その光景もまた、無駄がなく、美しいです。

　弓道を実際に体験すると、姿勢がよくなったり、協調性を身につけたり、異なる世代の方々との繋がりができたりします。
　それ以上に、根気強くなりそうです。
　弓道の的は、近的でも28メートル、遠的では60メートル先にあります。それを狙って矢をあてるには、体力と筋力だけでなく、気力も必要です。弓に矢を番えた状態でつけた狙いがほんの少しずれただけで、安土（的を設置する土塁）へ至ると的の中心から数十センチも外れることになります。そのため、弓道家は射に入ると非常に集中し、心身のすべてを使って矢を放ち、一射ごとに自らの射を省みて、また次の射へ入ります。
　しばしば見学していた時期もありましたが、私には一射ごとの違いはわかりませんでした。一人一人の姿勢の違いは多少わかっても、各個人の射の変化は非常に微妙で、素人目には判別できないのです。しかも、射場に立たせていただいて的を見ましたら、遠く、小さく見えて、とても狙いたいものではありませんでした。
「だからこそ矢が的中すると嬉しいし、練習するのが楽しくなる」
　息子を含めた存じ上げている弓道家諸氏は皆、そうおっしゃいます。どなたもそういう時の清々しい笑顔が印象的で、思い出すたび「弓道を愛する人に悪い人はきっといないわ」と思います。

全日本弓道連盟の公式サイトはこちらからどうぞ。