Kyudo means "The Way of the Bow"in Japanese and Zen means "Meditation," so this is the meditative practice of archery. It is accompanied by sitting meditation practice, an essential component of this art.

 

Archery was once considered the highest discipline of ancient japanese warriors, the samuri. It has evolved over the centuries into this meditative practice which focuses the mind and increases body awareness.

 

It is written that only the truly detached can understand "detachment" and that only the contemplative, who is completely empty and rid of the self, is ready to become one with the universe. This is the goal of Kyudo which aims to release the ego or sense of self. The practitioner is not focused on hitting the target. Instead, they become one with the meditative movements, learning to stay completely present in the moment, rather than thinking ahead to the release of the arrow. Each movement is as important as the next. And, no matter what happens -- if the arrow should fall or the bow break -- the movements continue.

 

The practice of Kyudo is deceptively simple. It doesn't matter how old you are or how strong you are. Beginners receive instruction in the basic form called "The Seven Coordinations" and after just a few classes they can shoot an arrow into a bale of hay about 2 yards away. Students practice shooting at short distance -- which is the length of their bow -- for many months before learning long distance shooting (28 meters). Working with the precision of the form, a natural process unfolds in which the practitioner has the opportunity to see his or her mind. The target becomes a mirror which reflects back the quality of one's mind at the moment of the arrow's release. It is said that it takes at least 10 years to learn the proper grip of the bow.

 

The Yumi (you-me) or bow is over 7 feet long and made of bamboo combined with other wood depending on the strength desired. It is a lengthy process to make these special bows and they cost anywhere from $600 and up. The glove is called a Kake(Kah-kay) and the Ya, or arrows, come in aluminum, carbon fiber or bamboo. The arrows with feathers are designed for long-distance practice. The equipment for classes is supplied by Tanya Schmid. After several months of practice, a student may wish to purchase their own equipment (see Don Symanski at zenkyudo.org). 

 

This form of Kyudo -- the Chikurin-ha branch of the Heki-ryu school -- was established in the United States and Europe by Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sendai, a 20th generation samurai who was the official bowmaker to the emperor of Japan. Since the 16th century when the first Kanjuro Shibata moved to the city of Kyoto, the Shibatas have maintained an unbroken lineage as the master archers and bowmakers for the Shogunates and Daimyoi families. About 150 years ago, the 18th Shibata received appointment to the post of official bowmaker to the Emporer. Since then, the 19th, 20th and 21st Shibata lineage holders have continued to make bows for the emporer's family and aristocrats as well as for practice. One of their functions includes making the Goshinpo Yumi or sacred bows used for the purification and reconsecration of the Ise Shrine, Japan's most important shrine, every twenty years.

 

Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sendai, was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1921. At the age of eight, he began his training in Kyudo and bowmaking, learning from his grandfather. At the age of twenty, he received the highest level of teaching certificate. At the death of his grandfather in 1959, the official title was then conferred on him. In 1985, Kanjuro Shibata XX retired to Boulder, Colorado (USA) at the invitation of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, a famous Tibetan monk who founded the Shambhala Warrior Training and the Naropa Institute in Boulder. Shibata's son, then Nobuhiro, now Kanjuro Shibata XXI, took over the lineage training in Japan while Kanjuro Shibata XX taught out of Boulder and travelled world-wide to spread the teachings of Kyudo until his death in October 2013.

 

Tanya Schmid learned Kyudo from Kanjuro Shibata XX in 1991 and received the title of Kyudo Instructor from him in 1995. Tanya founded Kyudojos wherever she lived, five in total, four of which still practice: Jinko Kyudojo in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1995), Basel, Switzerland (2000), St. Gallen, Switzerland (2003), Mastrils, Switzerland (began in Schiers, 2008), and now in Ringgenberg, near Interlaken, since 2015.