Exploring Kyoto, Part 2 of 3: Kyudo, Ancient Art of Archery

So, about a week later after Ohara, Erin knew about this annual national Kyudo event taking place in Kyoto at Sanjusangendo, one of my most favorite temples I've visited in Japan(I think I've been there four or five times now). This historic temple has been the site of this yearly archery event, where all of Japan's Kyudoist(practitioners of Japanese archery) come for a day-long competition and celebration of this ancient martial art.

Erin had studied Kyudo in Chicago, before we moved to Japan; so, she's got the experience and understanding of this subtle yet powerful martial art. She started her practice of Kyudo again here in Japan with our friend Doc, also a JET teacher. He, along with our Japanese friend Yoshi, came with us to enjoy this special event.

Kyudo is highly tied to the Japanese philosophical and spiritual practice of Zen, a mindful awareness of the present. There's much more that goes into Zen, but that should be enough to get the gist. Zen is practiced and perfected in not just Japanese martial arts such as Kyudo, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, and many others, but also in everyday "ceremonies" such as Ikebana Kado(the art of flower arranging), Sado(the art of preparing, presenting, and drinking tea), and Shodo(the art of Japanese calligraphy). In particular, Kyudo emphasizes the perfection of form and control through the practice of posture and a particular procedure of motions, after that, which is mastered in both mind and body, comes a moment of beauty and enlightenment, to be pursued with every draw of the bow. At least, that's how I see(even though I never tried myself). It's a very dedicated art, and often referred to as the "purest of all martial arts."

On this particular day, January 13, 2008, over two thousand Kyudo practitioners came from all over Japan to take part in the Toshiya Kyudo Competition, and annual New Year's event held at Sanjusangendo. It was a crisp, windy day, and the sun peaked out now and again through the clouds to warm up the crowds and competitors. Every Kyudoist was given just two shots, and the ages ranged from the old to the young. A row of nine or so archers would line up at the mark with their bows(yumi) and two arrows(ya). They'd all set up and when they were ready, would take their shots at the target, about 60 meters away. This day also coincided with the Japanese national holiday called Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day, which is the marked celebration for the young adults of Japan turning the legal age of 20, the age at which they are allowed to legally drink, smoke, and vote(in no particular order). So, at this event there were droves of young Japanese folks dressed to the nines in their best kimonos to shoot arrows and look good doin' it, celebrating their coming of age.


Erin and Doc ran into their Kyudo sensei(teacher) who was preparing to take his shots. The two girls in this picture are also students of the same teacher, and they study at the same Kyudo dojo where Doc and Erin were studying.

It was pretty crowded, so everyone was jocking to get a good look at the competitions going on. We also took some time to stroll through the wonderful temple of Sanjusangendo, and also to visit the outdoor food vendors for some hot goodies to warm us up. Here's our friend Yoshi eating the classic takoyaki, fried octopus filled balls of goodness. Really, they are very delicious! There were many other food vendors, which is quite typical for any Japanese matsuri(festival).


"Men and women take part in the Zen archery contest at Sanjusangendo. This extraordinary building, apart from being the longest wooden structure in the world at 118m (nearly 400ft) has inspired samurai to demonstrate their prowess since 1573. The Toshiya contest features over 2,000 experienced archers and young people who are celebrating their coming of age at the beginning of the new year. Competitors need to hit a target only 50 to 100cm in diameter (20–40in) 60m (200ft) away."- http://www.worldeventsguide.com/event.ehtml?o=1753

"The contest has its origins in the Edo period (1600-1867) when samurai warriors competed by shooting arrows down the 120-meter long, narrow hall. The contest, organized by the Kyoto Prefecture Archery Federation and the temple, is held each year in conjunction with the Coming-of-Age Day."- http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/kp/topics/eng/2004jan/01-18.html

This Taishoya Competition was a excellent experience and a wonderful way to observe a tradition of Japan that is uniquely Japanese. Sure, there's archery throughout the world and in countless cultures, used in hunting, war, competition, and showmanship(wasn't there a story about William Tell shooting an apple on the top of his son's head? whoops, that was a crossbow shot. None-the-less, look at the legend of Robin Hood, that Kostner was one hip shot!). But, like many things either adopted or originated here in Japan, the people and the culture strive for this impossible perfection; and on this day it was pursued through Kyudo. It is in the striving that beauty is glimpsed through the gestures and actions of a true master, and sought after by the students of any particular discipline. The look of concentration and determination that each and every Kyudoist wore on his and her face was focused, but calm, stoic but humble, and undeniably Japanese. This aspect of Japanese culture and life will always and forever amaze me.


In this shot here, I luckily captured this archer's arrow in mid-flight, just after we released. I didn't notice it until I got home, downloaded all my pics onto my computer, and got a closer look. In these last pics too, you can see just how long the bow is that's used in Kyudo.

As things were winding down, we left to get something to eat. And, on a spur of the moment, we decided to find a sento(bath house) that Erin and I had been to last summer to take a bath, relax, and warm ourselves after a day in the chilly winds. We found the neighborhood sento and soaked in the warm waters of the baths, as well as the heat of the sauna(my favorite since our trip to Thailand). Afterwards, we had planned to go to this great little Mexican joint Erin and I also discovered in the summer, though, it was closed, so we opted for some traditional Japanese ramen.

If you probably don't know(I know I sure didn't until I came here to Japan), that ramen in the States, you know, that cheap, prepackaged instant college food staple, is a mere glimpse of a shadow of what REAL ramen is like. Real ramen is served, as we had it here in Kyoto and elsewhere throughout Japan, in large bowls filled with the fresh, homemade, hand-cut noodles, that are drowned in a tasty broth(each broth is distinct depending on regional tastes and flavors, as well as the specialty of that particular ramen shop), some vegetables like bean sprouts, green onions, maybe daikon, and various types of meat or seafood, depending on what you order. It is the quintessential Japanese comfort food.
For the complete set of the photos taken, check out my album on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14498&l=92d47&id=507939118

Aikido Training in the Mountains, A Long Way from Where I Started

Two weeks ago I attended a weekend training camp with my Aikido club in Tenkawa, Yoshino in the central southern mountains of our Nara Prefecture. I had been looking forward to this weekend ever since I signed up for it months ago. Initially, Erin was planned to go to Tokyo for a huge anime convention, which fell through, so I figured it would be a good time for me to travel on my own as well. Even though Erin's plans fell through, she still encouraged me to attend the camp, seeing it as I did, a once in a lifetime experience.

I have been fairly new to martial arts, but it's been in my heart and mind for much longer. When I was young, I discovered a book one day at Cal City Library titled, Zen In The Martial Arts by Joe Hyams, an personal account of Joe's experiences training in several martial art styles, his insights and lessons learned from various teachers including Master Bruce Lee. I must've borrowed this book from the library dozens of times, each time probably wearin' out the pages but the words still fresh in my head with each story, anecdote, and philosophical insight. Sure, back then in the eighties-early nineties, every kid had fantasies of being a Karate Kid(one of my all-time favorite movies) or a ninja, but this book introduced me to the mental and philosophical side of the martial arts. It was in this book that I first read about Aikido, a traditional by fairly new martial art that was created, like many other disciplines, here in Japan. Here's a link for further history and info, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

I fell in love with the principles of Aikido, the seemingly simplistic forms and application and beauty of the art. It was not until moving here to Japan did I have the opportunity to finally begin my training in this tradition Japanese martial art.

Prior to coming to Japan, my martial arts training started just a few years ago at the Degerberg Academy in Chicago, a great facility and staff who introduced me to several disciplines of fighting techniques for almost two years. It was here where I finally began to do what I had always read in books and watched in movies and TV. After my membership ended at Degerberg and the momentum of life was quickly building with our wedding, our moves, and eventual Big Move to Japan, I had to put my martial arts on the back burner, but I promised myself that once we were settled in Japan I would find someplace where I can pick it back up. I am grateful for for finding the school I attend know, Kashiba Aikido Dojo, and for meeting everyone there.

It's been almost a year since I started training at Kashiba Dojo, an easy bike ride from our place, and I've learned so much and at the same time realize that I've got so much still to learn. First off, all the practices are, of course, in Japanese. So, through the language barrier, it's a huge challenge for me to grasp the lessons each week, not just for the actual, kata(the physical forms or "moves"), but to understand the purpose and deeper meaning of aikido, the philosophy. This is no easy task for a person who has, at best, a kindergarten language level of Japanese. So, back to the basics, as with everything I had to do initially upon integrating myself into a Japanese lifestyle. If I can't rely on my ears, then eyes and hands don't fail me now! I also am fortunate to have had my prior martial arts experience and training from Degerberg in Chicago, which had given me confidence and an understanding of body mechanics that is applicable and indispensable to my Aikido training. This would be tested ultimately during the weekend Aikido camp.
*I also found a great book on Aikido many years ago, Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere, which intially fed my interest in Aikido and currently is my personal text book to studying Aikido on my own.










I was a little worried but mostly excited to get to spend a whole weekend with my classmates from Kashiba dojo, discovering a new part of Japan I've never been to, and learning more about Aikido. My worries came from my poor handle of the Japanese language, even after a year of living here, but I knew everyone in the dojo would be more than helpful and friendly throughout the weekend. We met in the morning by Kashiba Sports Center to board the big bus bound for Tenkawa. It was only about two hours away, but a beautiful drive, especially when we got into the mountains.
We arrived and met in the ryokan(traditional Japanese "hotel") for formal introductions and lunch, then dressed in our gi(uniforms) for today's lessons. We hopped on the bus again which took us to the training building, a nearby junior high school across the river about 15 minutes away. The highlight of all the training sessions were the ones we used weapons, my first time. I mean, back home at Degerberg I began learning Filipino stick fighting, Kali, and knife fighting, but this was the first time to practice with a bokken(wooden sword) and Jo(wooden staff) in very traditional and disciplined Japanese manner... it was awesome!


One particular moment I will never forget occurred very early Sunday morning, after a late, late night of drinking and singing during the enkai(drinking party). We all woke up at 5am, some still sleeping, sore, and/or hungover, dressed in our gi for morning training. I was actually feeling pretty good, even though I was one of the last to sleep and drank my fair share of sake and beer(and some liquor from Okinawa that felt hot in your throat n belly). We filed in line and followed our sensei outside, down the road in the misty morning. We walked and came to a suspension foot bridge across the river, which is not the kinda thing a person reasonably scared of heights wants to deal with at 5 in the morning. Gambattene! We crossed the swaying bridge, five men at a time as the sign indicated, which opened up to a baseball field at the base of a mountain. There, we found our sensei sitting seiza(legs folded underneath) facing the mountain, his bokken at his left side. We all followed suit, taking our place on the hard gravely, sandy ground(almost all baseball fields, soccer fields, any sports fields in Japan do NOT have grass). Let me tell you, sitting seiza is not comfortable to begin with, you have to condition yourself for this posture; but, sitting seiza with tiny pebbles under your bear feet and thinly clothed knees leaves an impression, both figuratively and literally. Itaiiii!!! But after awhile, you just push out the pain and focus on the training. We trained with wooden swords under that mountain before the sun came up, our voices echoed back at us, our feet bruised and sanded smooth. Our lesson ended for now, we retired back to the ryokan for a nap before breakfast, and more training that morning and afternoon.


The whole weekend was an amazing experience. Not only because I was able to learn more about Aikido and practice the things I've already learned, but it gave me great insight and understanding into Japanese culture in general. This was the first time I've been in the company of only Japanese people for more than just a few hour.


We ate, drank, trained, and slept in the company of each other, and it was so great to be part of this community, with welcomed acceptence. We shared jokes, thoughts, and cultural differences and interests throughout the weekend.

It just enforces my observations that we are all the same, no matter where in the world we are. Yes, there definitely are differences due to culture and tradition, but it was simple to see that people are people. I think if you can share a laugh with a person or group, there's an understanding there that's beyond language. For me, the same goes with sharing music. We definitely laughed the whole weekend, and even shared music. Aikido is also like this for me to some degree, a measure of personal understanding with those I train with. I guess it's kinda hard to explain, but I know, without words, that I can communicate with my classmates through Aikido.



I'm so happy and fortunate to have this opportunity to train at Kashiba Dojo, with my sensei and all my classmates. I don't know how often, or if ever, they've had a gaijin(foreigner) at Kashiba dojo, but they have treated me with great love and respect, and overwhelming kindness. The weekend in Tenkawa was no different and I feel even closer to everyone after the camp.