Kyuudō

Demonstration by members of the Gotemba Kyūdō Association.

Kyūdō (弓道:きゅうどう, '& #39;Kyūdō''^?), meaning 'way of the longbow', is the Japanese art of archery.

It is a formative or traditional Japanese martial art (gendai budō); It should not be confused with Yabusame, which is archery on horseback, nor with Kyūjutsu, which is only the shooting technique.

It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyūdō; It is practiced by men and women of all ages.

Purpose of Kyūdō

In its purest form, kyūdō is practiced as an art and seeks the moral and spiritual development of the individual. Many archers view it as a sport, but the goal that the most devoted practitioners hope to achieve is seisha seichu, "correct shot is correct hit."

In kyūdō, what is desired is the single expansion action (nobiai) that results in a naturally released shot. When the spirit and balance of the shot are correct, the result is that the arrow hits the target. Abandoning oneself completely to the shot is the spiritual goal. In this regard, many practitioners believe that competition, examination and any opportunity that puts the goalkeeper in this situation is important; on the contrary, there are others who avoid competitions and exams of any kind.

Team

The yumi (Japanese bow) is exceptionally long (approximately two meters), exceeding the height of the archer (kyūdōka). yumi are traditionally made of bamboo, wood, and leather, using techniques that have not changed in centuries, although some archers (particularly those new to the art) may use yumi synthetics (laminated wood and lined with carbon or glass fiber). Even advanced kyūdōka come to use yumi which are no longer made of bamboo due to the brittleness of bamboo in extreme climates.

"Ya" (arrow) were traditionally made of bamboo, feathered with either eagle or hawk feathers. Many are still made from bamboo today (although there are exceptions) and the feathers are now sourced from non-endangered species such as turkeys or swans. Every "already" has one gender (masculine ya are called haya; feminine ya are otoya); created from the feathers of the alternate sides of the bird, beech rotate clockwise and otoya on the opposite side. The beech is the first to be thrown.

The kyūdōka wear a glove on their right hand, called the yugake. There are different styles of yugake, but typically they are made from deerskin. Practitioners can choose between a hard glove (with a hardened thumb) or a soft glove (without the thumb). There are different advantages to both.

Schools and branches of kyūdō

The kyūdō can be divided into three branches and styles. These are its main exponents today:

• Kisha, mounted and ceremonial archery:
  • Takeda-ryu Takeda-Ryu School site
  • Ogasawara-ryu School Ogasawara-Ryu

Paint image showing the different branches and schools that were developed in the Kyūdō from the beginning to today.

• HoshaMilitary archery:
  • Heki-ryu (日本語)
  • Heki-ryū Chikurin-ha (margining)
  • Bishū Chikurin-ha (violated)
  • Kishū Chikurin-ha() 州 oriented oriented)
  • Heki-ryū Insai-ha (alias. Heki Tō-ryū)
  • Heki-ryū Sekka-ha ()️)
  • Heki-ryū Dōsetsu-ha (ties)
  • Honda-ryū (sing)
  • Yamato-ryū (CHUCKLES)
• DoshaTemple archery.

- Unified Archery:

Japan Kyudō Federation

Ceremonial approach vs. functional

The Ogasawara school focuses on the ceremonial part of shooting, while the Heki school focuses on accuracy and speed of fire for battles.

For its part, temple archery has put utility aside for a “spiritual” and sporting approach in Toshiya competitions. Hybrid branches such as the federation, focus on uniting and standardizing the teaching of these techniques.

Shamen and Shomen shooting style

There are two main styles of bow handling. The Shomen style, used by the Kisha branch and unified, is characterized by raising the bow in front of the archer. In the Shamen style used predominantly by the Hosha and Dosha branch, the bow is raised by the archer's side.

Kyūdō in popular culture

The following fictional characters practice kyūdō:

• Kaguya Shinomiya Kaguya-sama: Love is war
• Yona and Hak Akatsuki not Yona.
• Shimada Kambei from the movie The Seven Samurai.
• Kikyō of the anime InuYasha.
• Doumeki of anime and sleeve xxHOLiC.
• Shirō Emiya, Shinji and Sakura Matō, and Mitsuzuri Ayako from Fate/stay Night.
• Suoh Takamura of the anime and manga Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan.
• Naoji of the anime and the game Meine Liebe.
• Kaho Mizuki and Yukito of the anime Card Captor Sakura are kyūdō practitioners.
• Anime Jew Earth Girl Arjuna.
• Chikane Himemiya of the anime Kannazuki not Miko.
• Umi Sonoda del anime Love Live!.
• Uryū Ishida of the anime Bleach (manga) (he then uses several smaller different arches).
• All the main characters of the anime Tsurune: kazemai koukou kyuudoubu
• Yoko Tsuno from the French cartoon Roger Leloup.
• Takaki Tono, protagonist of the movie Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru practices this art in the second part of the film.
• Connor Hawke (DC Comics), second Green Arrow and son of Oliver Queen, grew up in a kyūdō monastery.
• Shado (DC Comics), is an expert killer in this practice, and a lover of Green Arrow.