Japanese Traditional Arts Issue 5 Home Page

Kyudo, the Way of the Bow Megumu Matoba from Japan describes the martial art of Japanese archery. Photo: Thomas Peters A Japanese high school student practices the art of Kyudo. Among major Japanese martial arts, the Japanese archery has been outstanding in its history and spirituality. As is well known, Japanese martial arts put much stress on their mental side along with practical usage. From that standpoint, Japanese archery may be the most sophisticated and spiritual one. The bow in history Looking over the history of weapons in the world, the bow was the oldest weapon for mankind to hunt animals, and it was the most powerful and efficient weapon for a long time until guns were invented. In Japan, the oldest written description of the bow appears in Japanese saga called "Kojiki (The Record of Ancient Japan). According to this volume, the bows were the sacred weapon used by the ancient Japanese gods and goddesses, and they were used not only for hunting but also as a symbol of the gods' holiness in many occasions such as religious ceremonies. The shape of the Japanese bow The shape of the Japanese bow is very unique in that it is one of the longest in history, and it has been unchanged for almost two thousand years. Today, the bows in the world are divided into three categories by their shape. These are Mongolian, Mediterranean, and South Pacific Island types. Japanese bows derive from the Mongolian type, but their shape is very different from other Mongolian bows used in China and Korea. It resembles the English long bow. The position of its handling points The most characteristic point for the Japanese bow is the position of its handling points. The Japanese bow is the only one whose handling point is not set in the middle, but at the two thirds position from its top, and this difference has created other uniqueness in Japanese archery including its shooting technique. Since Japanese bows are very simple in their mechanism (They are composed simply of a bamboo body and a string), the archer of Japanese bows should train himself much harder than the archers of other types to maintain shooting accuracy. Photo: Thomas Peters A Japanese high school student takes careful aim. Traditional arts handed down over the years Japanese martial arts had been handed down from generation to generation since they were born more than 2,000 years ago, like other tradition arts such as "Ikebana" (flower arrangement), "Sado" (Tea Ceremony) and "Zen Buddhism". They became very popular when the Samurai Warrior class established its dominance in 1600. Japanese high school archery clubs preserve the tradition Today, however, Japanese martial arts have been detached from imperialism and are enjoyed by all generations merely as a sport. However, their spirituality has been preserved and has been serving as a means to preserve Japanese tradition. At our high school, students enjoy practicing and participating in various tournaments. Several years ago, our archery club won the third prize in the National Inter High School archery contest. This is of course regarded as a great honor for our school. More traditional Japanese arts: The Challenge of Kendo | Koto, a Traditional Musical Instrument How the Koto Became Popular | Chado, the Way of Tea Ikebana, Japanese Flower Arranging | Hyaku-Nin-Isshu, a Card Game Return to: Traditional Japanese Arts | Issue 5 | Home Page  TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007- Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com