弓道　kyudo

Kyudo,literally 'The Way of the Bow',is one of Japan's martial arts. The aim is to train the body and mind through the act of shooting an arrow with a bow. It's more than just a sport.

In kyudo, the action of shooting an arrow comprises eight fundamental movements.
The 'eight stages of form and shooting' "射法八節　shaho hassetu" are really beautiful.

First, you slowly spread your feet apart to create a stable base of support. You then stabilize the upper body to assume the proper posture for drawing the bow. Next, fit an arrow to the bow. Raise the bow and arrow. Spread out your arms and draw the bow. With the bowstrind fully drawn back, hold still for a moment... and release the arrow.
Even after the arrow has been fired, you must maintain the proper position.
There's more to kyudo than hitting the target; performing these fundamental movements correctly is also considered important.

Thinking about using a bow and arrow for fighting or hunting, it woud be too slow a weapon if used in the kyudo style. Originally,the act of shooting was very fast, as can still be seen in exhibitions of yabusame, the ritual of shooting arrows from horseback.

The bows used in kyudo are much simpler in construction than the bows used in Western-style archery.
However,an arrow fired from a Japanese bow has enough force to pierce a pottery plate.
Why are Japanese bows so powerful? It has a lot to do with how they're made.
The core is a composite of bamboo that has been heat-treated to increase its strength and wax-tree wood, which is very hard.
Thinly cut strips of bamboo are glued to the front and back of the core. The combination of the rigid core and the supple bamboo strips outside gives the bow its remarkable strength.
Wedges are used to give the bow its curvature. More than 100 wedges of varying sizes are pounded in to create the ideal shape that maximizes the power of th bow.

Japanese bows may seem simple, but they're made with extraordinary precision. And practitioners of kyudo are required to use these bows in a very precise fashion.
Originally, bows were used for hunting and warfare.
But after guns apread across Japan in the 16th century, archery became a form of spiritual training for the samurai.And it eventually developed into kyudo as we know it today.

Kyudo is a solitary activity. There is no opponent- just a target. The objective is to achieve a deep state of calm and train your mind.That is 'The Way of the Bow'

Yabusame

Trad Japan 5