Kyudo
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
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Kyudo, which is translated as "Way of the Bow", is a Japanese martial art of archery. It is considered a modern martial art or gendai budo and is practiced by many as a sport and as a method of physical, moral, and spiritual development.
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History
In the early stages of Japanese society, Japan was strongly influenced by Chinese culture. It was then that ceremonial archery became an important part of the court system. The Japanese bowmakers also began to borrow the composite construction used by the Chinese, and by the tenth century had developed a two-piece composite bow using bamboo and wood.
In 1192 Minamoto no Yoritomo was granted the title of shogun, or military governor, and established stricter standards for his warriors. As part of that training, Ogasawara Nagakiyo, the founder of Ogasawara Ryu, was instructed to teach mounted archery in a more formal manner. It was during this time that the kyujutsu ryu, the schools of archery technique, came into their own. One of the most influential archers of the time was Heki Danjo Masatsugu, the founder of Heki Ryu, who lived from 1443 to 1502. He is credited with standardizing the training of kyujutsu which no doubt assured its continued growth and development, even into modern times. tIt was during the Feudal period that the construction of the Japanese bow reached its peak. By the late sixeenth century it was regarded as being near perfect in design. So much so, that the bamboo and wood laminate bows used in modern kyudo are nearly identical to those made four hundred years ago. As it turned out, the end of the sixteenth century also spelled the end of the bow's usefulness as a weapon of war when Oda Nobunaga, commanding conscripts armed with muskets, defeated the opposing force of kyujutsu archers in a major battle in 1575.
In the seventeenth century Japan's period of civil war ceased and the emphasis of Japanese archery gradually changed from kyujutsu to kyudo, or, in other words, from the technique of fighting with a bow to the way of personal development. The Transitional period also saw the general public become more involved with the practice of archery. As the twentieth century dawned, Honda Toshizane, a kyudo instructor at Tokyo Imperial University, combined elements of the warrior and ceremonial styles to create a hybrid form that came to be known as Honda Ryu. Although the traditional schools were against the creation of this hybrid form, Honda Toshizane is widely credited today with ensuring the survival of kyudo in the twentieth century.
Training
Techniques
Equipment
Competition
Rankings
School of Styles
| Japanese Martial Arts | |
|---|---|
| Aikido | Aikijutsu | Atemi Jitsu | Battojutsu | Bojutsu | Dai Jutsu Do | Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu | Goshin Jujitsu | Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu | Iaido | Jodo | Judo | Jujutsu | Juttejutsu | Kashima Shinryu | Kendo | Kenjutsu | Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo | Kyokushin | Kyudo | Naginata Do | Nanbudo | Ninjutsu | Shidokan | Shinkendo | Shintaido | Shoot boxing | Shooto | Shorinji Kempo | Shugijutsu | Sumo | Taido | Tantojutsu | Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu | Yabusame | Yagyu Shingan Ryu | |
