# Kyudo Japanese Archery



## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Outryder - 

I know of one dojo in the New York area, but don;t know about out your way. Old school but did you try the phone book, Also, some of the larger Karate / Martial Arts dojos may have a lead for you.

Most yumis for new students are in the 25- 30# range if not lighter. I assume you know that Kyudo has little in common with western archery, traditional or otherwise on a fundamental level, (however the actual form is in theory is quite similar). 

Hope that helped.

Viper1 out.


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## Outryder (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks Viper. Either these martial arts studio folks don't use technology such as internet or just don't answer emails - I think I'm going to take your suggestion and go to some of these dojos and ask personally. Thanks.


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## JhoneilC (Aug 30, 2007)

I found this after a quick search:

http://sites.google.com/site/nvkyudo/home

If you are coming from a compound and addicted to accuracy then Kyudo is not for you. Call those guys in Henderson and see if it's right for you


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## BowmanJay (Jan 1, 2007)

You will need atleast 36" shafts for your arrows. My best friend shoots yumi's exclusivley in the SCA and I have been building his arrows for years. The DL on the yumi is much greater than a western bow. Here is a URL for the place he gets his bows from, they are great people to deal with....

http://www.kyudo.com/asahiam-ord.html


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## Outryder (Jul 9, 2010)

*Thank you everyone*

Thanks for the posts! I really appreciate it....

I tried the Henderson site, no replies to email. I'll call them later today, thanks!


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## WindWalker (Jan 23, 2005)

Outryder:

Curious! What is it you believe you want to accomplish in Kyudo and do you know what all is involved? I was a Kyudo student for awhile while in Futenma, Okinawa. It (Kyudo) may not be what you believe it to be and it is not an archery sport as you may now be familiar with or as is generally discussed here.


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## Sanford (Jan 26, 2009)

WindWalker said:


> I was a Kyudo student for awhile.....


Pictures, please!


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## WindWalker (Jan 23, 2005)

> _Pictures, please!_


It was 1958-59. And long before the western-ways and manners crept into the martial arts, you definitely would not be taking pictures in a dojo. They (dojos) were considered somewhat sacred considering the dojos were commonly blessed by Shinto priests.


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## CONick64 (Mar 5, 2010)

WindWalker said:


> Outryder:
> It (Kyudo) may not be what you believe it to be and it is not an archery sport as you may now be familiar with or as is generally discussed here.


Just out of curiosity, what are some of the differences? I will admit that I know nothing about it, other than a picture I have seen here and there.


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## WindWalker (Jan 23, 2005)

> _Just out of curiosity, what are some of the differences? _


Kyudo falls within the Japanese budo (martial arts) pursuits and there are several forms of Kyudo. From my brief experience, but also because I was a judo/jujitsu student at the time, I was able to immediately discern that Kyudo was/is more about formality and customs and being in touch with your id then hitting the spot or scores. When I watched the advanced Japanese shooters shoot, it was like they were in a state of very deep mediation. 

I may have been a student about three months before I had to ship out. Most of that time was spent learning about the gloves and how to wear them, the Japanese terms...in Japanese..., learning the nomenclature of the Yumi, endlessly holding and drawing a bamboo stick that was a practice bow, proper body movements, and I do mean "proper," and many others non-shooting aspects of the art. Only towards the end of the time I was a student did I finally get the opportunity to actually loose some arrows off an authentic Yumi (bow).

It was very interesting to watch the advanced practitioners and the masters shoot, but personally, and said without disrespect of the art, I was very bored and knew early-on that I would probably not remain a serious Kyudo student. 

I have no idea how closely the non-Japanese dojos follow the Kyudo traditions and the formality, but as bad as the other martial arts have been thoroughly corrupted over the years by the "western way," I would be very suspect of any dojo here in the states because it is all about money with many of the dojos in the US. Just last month I pulled a granddaughter out an American-operated Taekwondo academy that has been here, locally, for a long time because of the money thing over proper training.


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## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

WindWalker said:


> Kyudo falls within the Japanese budo (martial arts) pursuits and there are several forms of Kyudo. From my brief experience, but also because I was a judo/jujitsu student at the time, I was able to immediately discern that Kyudo was/is more about formality and customs and being in touch with your id then hitting the spot or scores. When I watched the advanced Japanese shooters shoot, it was like they were in a state of very deep mediation.
> 
> I may have been a student about three months before I had to ship out. Most of that time was spent learning about the gloves and how to wear them, the Japanese terms...in Japanese..., learning the nomenclature of the Yumi, endlessly holding and drawing a bamboo stick that was a practice bow, proper body movements, and I do mean "proper," and many others non-shooting aspects of the art. Only towards the end of the time I was a student did I finally get the opportunity to actually loose some arrows off an authentic Yumi (bow).
> 
> ...


X2. Even though a part of me hates to admit it, I am forced to agree, for the most part, with Windwalker's astute assessment of Kyudo, i.e. the shooting of the bow being not the primary focus but a vehicle from which a meditative state is achieved and the spot upon the target where the arrow hits being irrelevant to the measure of success or failure (while this may not be an exact rewording of his comments, my own words attempted to convey the meaning I extrapolated from his). 

Now Outrider, when you say you "can't wait to try traditional archery"...I think you may want to get a greater understanding of what "traditional archery" may mean, being viewed in light of your interest in Kyudo. While Kyudo is a form of archery practice, and yes, one could ostensibly claim that it is steeped in tradition, be clear about your own goals as well. If you are attempting to become involved with the sport simply to shoot a bow without wheels, then you can very easily find an inexpensive regular recurve or longbow, a few properly spined shafts, and let 'er rip! But if you are interested in Kyudo _specifically_---then you may want to be cognizant of the fact that you are not so much learning archery as you are, in a very real and literal sense, practicing a _martial art_---and with that being the case, I am sure you will find it a lot more involved than the simple shooting of a bow. Just keep that in mind should you decide to have Kyudo become your introduction to traditional archery. Also, and Windwalker stated, accuracy with the bow is not the primary focus of Kyudo---at least not from the standpoint of how most traditional shooters define accuracy, i.e. the putting of the arrow exactly where you want it to go (unless I am mistaken, I remember reading somewhere that it is said that those who practice traditional _Japanese_ archery claim that since the entire world is your target, you cannot miss. I think that may have been in Byron Ferguson's book, but...whatever). Whatever you choose, good shooting and God and Christ Bless!


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## Flier (Jul 16, 2010)

*Hi Guys*

Hi guys I am new to this forum. 
I couln't help but notice this thread. I would love to get into a Kyudo dojo, but there are none around here.

I myself am a long time practicioner of Iaido, another Japanese traditional art which is a sword art and I get a lot of enjoyment of practicing it and teaching it. And would love to hear some experiences from anyone practicing Kyudo.


Windwalker I read your post as well and I do understand and agree with you on what our western culture has done to these arts. I see it in Iaido all the time because it is also an art with very strict postures and movements. I can't tell you how many students come in the dojo and get excited to learn a sword art only to get bored within a few months. 

Cheers.
Tom


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## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

Flier said:


> Hi guys I am new to this forum.
> I couln't help but notice this thread. I would love to get into a Kyudo dojo, but there are none around here.
> 
> I myself am a long time practicioner of Iaido, another Japanese traditional art which is a sword art and I get a lot of enjoyment of practicing it and teaching it. And would love to hear some experiences from anyone practicing Kyudo.
> ...


Amen! I see that a lot in kung-fu as well. many people come in expecting to _immediately_ learn either A.) to do the insane acrobatics as seen in the movies, B.) how to knock someone out with one punch or kick, with minimal effort on their part, C.) the intricate weapons sets as seen in the movies and tournaments, or any combination of those three, among others. And after learning that the first few months will probably consist primarily of stance training, conditioning exercises, and _maybe_ a few basic punches, kicks, and self-defense techniques, many wind up dropping out. I guess my old saying that "good things will never come to those who aren't _willing_ to wait" proves itself to be true over again. God Bless!


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## CONick64 (Mar 5, 2010)

Wow, thanks for the thourough explaination WindWalker and Alan. After hearing that, it does make a lot of sense that it would be more similar to other forms of Japanese martial arts. I was completely wrong!


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## Flier (Jul 16, 2010)

Outryder said:


> Hi,
> Anybody out there have some specific info on Kyudo such as teachers or classes here in Vegas, how much lbs pull for a Yonsun yumi for a 6' tall person (currently pulling 58 lbs at 30" on compound bow), bare minimum equipment, arrow length, and any other useful info will be much appreciated. I tried the net and found a couple of places but no reply and one email came back. I found couple places to obtain equipment from Japan and couple here in the US. Been dying to try traditional archery!


Here is an excellent look at traditional Kyudo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cedl57qWdS4


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## Outryder (Jul 9, 2010)

*Hi Windwalker*

Thanks for sharing. Not really sure what I want to accomplish with Kyudo. But the instant I saw it, I really got excited from the bottom of my heart. I've seen and tried several different traditional archery such as English and American Long bow, Mongolian recurve and modern recurve. I liked them but none of them got me excited as the Japanese Yumi. Even after trying the recurves, I still rather shoot my compound bow. I have a PSE Custom Bow that I picked up used for $150 and I have a great time. I'm pretty good out to 60 yards and I just have a ball. I occasionally go out with a friend to shoot, but I prefer to got out by myself with no one on the range. When I'm out shooting, I just lose myself and I got no worries in the world. Although I got for accuracy, I don't get that excited when I'm off and what bugs me about my friends is that they usually get pissed off when they are off. I just figure out what I'm doing different that day and correct errors and just have freaking good time just shooting.

I really don't know why I am so excited about Kyudo, but it sure gets me going and I want to further explore it.


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## Flier (Jul 16, 2010)

*I understand*

Believe me I understand. I have been an Iaido practitioner for a long time. I really enjoy it. Mostly for it's simplicity.
As far as archery, I like to kill things so I have no interest in kyodo aside from it's budo fundamentals.l 

I hope you find what you are looking for good luck


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## Outryder (Jul 9, 2010)

*Hey Flier*

Hi Flier,

Try this site for Kyudo

http://www.zenko.org/kyudo.html seems like there might be two in your area.

also chk these sites out too

http://www.kyudo.com/asahiam.html
https://www.sambu-kyugu.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1
http://www.yumi-bows.com/yumi.html
http://www.zenko.org/bows.htm

and this one too

http://eclay.netwiz.net/

The kyudo.com seems like a very cool site with lots of info. The two that maintain the site wrote a book on it that I just got the other day from Amazon called Kyudo:The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery by Dan and Jackie DeProspero. Seems really cool, lots of line graphics and so far well written just read foreward and Intro - still reading another book so I doing my best to finish one book at a time - just dying to read this one.

If you see any other sites during your search, let me know also!

Thanks ya'll,
Martin


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## NV Kyudo Kai (Aug 10, 2010)

Outryder: NV Kyudo Kai holds classes at the Black Mt. Rec Center on Greenway at Horizon Ridge on Sat mornings. The next class begins on Sept 4th and runs for 8 weeks. We supply a Gommi Yumi (rubber bow) for practice and have Yumis, gloves arrows etc for use. As stated in some previous chats Kyudo is not actually a sport, but a martial Art. It is a form based art with emphasis upon posture, ritual, mental concentration and character developmnet. Unity of mind, body, and bow, self disipline and perfection of techique are more important than striking the target.


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