Repeating gestures again and again

In September and after years of hesitation, I started the commitment to learn Kyudo, the Japanese traditional archery.

Kyudo is not really a sport, absolutely not a game and not really a martial art. I take it as a new skill. Kyudo is a mental exercise which grows body and mind control. I get out from a kyudo training relaxed like after a meditation session.

Kyudo is a passionating complement to my kendo practice and a great addition to my career which focuses on gestures. I can use again the "power of breath" that I learned as a gymnast in my teenage years. Breath control is critical in kyudo as in gym.

Kyudo is for you if you are in a quest to life-long self improvement.

Kyudo is not for you if you develop allergy to Japanese polite forms (and many foreigners do, and I did too). Kyudo is 95% about this. It is also 100% repeating the same gesture again and again till perfection that you will never reach. If you are in the short term experience mood, jumping from experience to experience, drop the kyudo idea (...drop the martial art idea).

As a foreigner, it is always a challenge to start a martial art in Japan. I experienced it 6 years ago with kendo. From my kendo experience I now think it is more sensei's problem than my issue. Most of martial art sensei are "very" japanese and have zero experience in teaching a gaijin. We, gaijin, are "sensei" in international experiences. Let's make our sensei confortable by being japanese as much as we can. Once the trust is built, everything becomes possible, even being (slightly) different. Keep your funky "look how cool a gaijin I am" attitude for Saturday evenings in Shibuya, and listen, listen, listen,...

I recommend to start with a 2-week intense internship that will ramp you up quickly on basic technics and create a "team" spirit with other beginners. Despite what you might think from afar, you start from ground zero.

Japanese vocabulary of kyudo is numerous and complex. I recommend this reading Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery from Onuma sensei from day 1 or before you start.

No equipment is required for beginners except the light 3-finger cotton glove. My dojo did provide it to me for a close-to-nothing amount.

Bow, arrows, gloves can be used from the dojo for the first year.

Once the internship is completed, it is recommended to buy tabi, the kyudo shoes. Take the cheapest as they do not last long because of traditional way to walk in kyudo (suriashi). You can find them on Amazon.

"Gi" (cloths) are acquired after a few months of experience. No hurry, it will come in time as a reward. In my dojo it happens in February. We are ugly in plain cloth but this is the price to pay.

Keep in mind that a complete set for Kyudo is about ¥200,000 but that it is built progressively and can last your entire life.

It's the starting point of a very long way (michi), do not drop the practice after a few months. Martial arts are all about life commitment.

After a few months, I already feel more in control of my soul, breath and body.

to be continued...

(picture is not me and I could not take descent pictures until now. Picture from Mark Araujo)