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("art of archery") is the traditional
Japanese martial art Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...
of wielding a bow ( yumi) as practiced by the
samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
class of feudal Japan. Although the samurai are perhaps best known for their
swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to an ...
with a
katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
('' kenjutsu''), kyūjutsu was actually considered a more vital skill for a significant portion of Japanese history. During the majority of the
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
through the Muromachi period (c.1185–c.1568), the bow was almost exclusively the symbol of the professional warrior, and way of life of the warrior was referred to as .


History

The beginning of archery in Japan is, as elsewhere, pre-historical. The first images picturing the distinct Japanese asymmetrical longbow are from the
Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...
(ca. 500 BC–300 AD). The first written document describing Japanese archery is the Chinese chronicle '' Weishu'' (魏書; dated around 297 AD), which tells how in the Japanese isles people use "a wooden bow that is short from the bottom and long from the top."Yamada Shōji
The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery
'' Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 2001 28/1–2


Emergence

The changing of society and the military class (
samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
) taking power at the end of the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
(794-1185) created a requirement for education in archery. This led to the birth of the first kyūjutsu ''ryūha'' (流派, style), the ''Henmi-ryū'', founded by Henmi Kiyomitsu ( :ja:源清光) in the 12th century. The ''Takeda-ryū'' ( :ja:武田流) and the mounted archery school '' Ogasawara-ryū'' ( :ja:小笠原流) were later founded by his descendants. The need for archers grew dramatically during the Genpei War (1180–1185) and as a result the founder of the ''Ogasawara-ryū'' ( Ogasawara Nagakiyo), began teaching '' yabusame'' (mounted archery). During the
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
(1185–1333), when
Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
established the Kamakura shogunate, archery became more and more popular, especially the three types of mounted archery: '' yabusame'', '' inuoumono'', and '' kasagake''.


Civil war

From the 15th to the 16th century, Japan was ravaged by civil war. In the latter part of the 15th century Heki Danjō Masatsugu revolutionized archery with his new and accurate approach called ''hi'', ''kan'', ''chū'' (fly, pierce, center), and his footman's archery spread rapidly. Many new schools were formed, some of which, such as ''Heki-ryū Chikurin-ha'' ( ja:日置流竹林派), ''Heki-ryū Sekka-ha'' (日置流雪荷派) and ''Heki-ryū Insai-ha'' (日置流印西派), remain today.


16th century

The yumi (Japanese bow) as a weapon of war began its gradual decline after the Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543 bringing firearms with them in the form of the
matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or Tri ...
. The Japanese soon started to manufacture their own version of the matchlock called '' tanegashima'' and eventually the tanegashima and the yari (spear) became the weapons of choice. However, because took a long time to load, were inconvenient in rainy weather when damp gunpowder would not fire, and were not exactly subtle in terms of noise, the did not go out of fashion and continued to be used as an important military force on the battlefield. The tanegashima was far more powerful than the yumi and also did not require as much training, allowing
Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
's army consisting mainly of farmers armed with tanegashima to annihilate a traditional samurai cavalry in a single battle in 1575.


17th century–present

During the
Tokugawa period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
(1603–1868) Japan was turned inward as a hierarchical caste society in which the samurai were at the top. There was an extended era of peace during which the samurai moved to administrative duty, although the traditional fighting skills were still esteemed. During this period archery became a "voluntary" skill, practiced partly in the court in ceremonial form, partly as different kinds of competition. During this period, an archery contest called '' Tōshiya'' was popularly held at the Buddhist temple Sanjusangen-do. Many samurai competed to hit an arrow at a target 133 meters away, nearly the width of the Buddhist temple. Today, this ''Tōshiya'' contest is held as an annual event on Coming of Age Day, January 15, with women archers participating, but with the distance to the target shortened to 60 meters. In the early Edo period, Morikawa Kōzan founded the ''Yamato-ryū'' ( :ja:大和流), which was based on ''Ogasawara-ryū'' etiquette and ''Heiki-ryū'' shooting methods, and also incorporated
Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
ideas. During the changes to Japan brought by opening up to the outside world at the beginning of the
Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...
(1868–1912), the samurai lost their status. Therefore, ''kyūjutsu'' was considered obsolete and began to decline. Kyūjutsu practitioners established
dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...
s to survive and began to spread among the common people. In 1896, a group of kyūjutsu masters gathered to save traditional archery. Honda Toshizane, the kyūjutsu teacher for the Imperial University of Tokyo, merged the war and ceremonial shooting styles, creating a hybrid called ''Honda-ryū'' ( :ja:本多流生弓会). In 1919, the name of "kyūjutsu" was officially changed to '' kyūdō'', and following the example of other martial arts that have been systematizing for educational purposes, kyūdō also reorganized and integrated various forms of shooting that had been used up until then.


''Koryū'' (old-school styles)


''Ogasawara-ryū''

The '' Ogasawara-ryū'' ( :ja:小笠原流) is a school that has been handed down in the Ogasawara clan for generations, and in the middle of the Muromachi period (1336–1573), The school was noted for three things, archery, horsemanship, and etiquette, originally taught by Ogasawara Nagakiyo The ''Ogasawara-ryū'' is famous for ''yabusame''. The school performs ''Shomen-uchiokoshi'' (正面打起し), one of the bow positions derived from mounted archery in standing archery.


''Takeda-ryū''

The ''Takeda-ryū'' ( :ja:武田流) has its origins in the fact that the founder of the school learned archery from the prince of Emperor Montoku. The characteristic of this school is different from other schools in the action of taking arrows out of the '' yazutsu'' ( quiver) during ''yabusame''. Another characteristic of this school is that they wear a '' oni'' mask on their '' kasa'' (hat) when they perform ''yabusame''. This school of ''yabusame'' is performed at the Meiji Shrine Autumn Festival.


''Heki-ryū''

The ''Heki-ryū'' ( :ja:日置流) was founded in the Muromachi period by a samurai, Heki Danjō Masatsugu. This school emphasized actual combat, and the shooting methods of this school influenced other schools. There are also many branches of the Heki school, including the ''Sekka-ha'' (雪荷派), ''Dōsetsu-ha'' (道雪派), ''Chikurin-ha'' (竹林派), ''Izumo-ha'' (出雲派), ''Insai-ha'' (印西派) and ''Yoshida-ha'' (吉田派).


''Yamato-ryū''

The ''Yamato-ryu'' ( :ja:大和流) was founded by Morikawa Kozan in the early
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
(1603-1868). Morikawa Kozan, a student of one of the most prominent families in the school of ''kyūjutsu'', trained for more than 10 years and mastered various styles of ''kyūjutsu''. He established the ''Yamato-ryū'' by incorporating
Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
,
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, and Confucian ideas into the ''kyūjutsu'', with the Shinto philosophy he had learned during his training at its core. This school developed by referring to the ''Ogasawara-ryū'' for etiquette and the ''Heki-ryū'' for shooting techniques.


''Gosha Rokka'' (''Gosha Riku-ka'')

In combat ''kyūjutsu'' at the time just before ''kyūjutsu'' replaced '' kyūdo'', there were five methods of shooting and six things that were important for the ''kyūjutsuka'' (kyūjutsu practitioner) to acquire. These are referred to as the "Gosha Rokka'' (''Gosha Riku-ka'', 五射六科, five shootings and six school subjects). * ''Gosha'' (五射) **''Waramakimae'' (藁巻前) - It is a shooting method in which a target made of wrapped straw is shot, and it is a practice shooting method that emphasizes etiquette according to basic techniques. **''Matomae'' (的前) - It is a shooting method for short distances of 28 meters or less and is considered the most important shooting method. **''Tōyamae'' (遠矢前) - It is a long-distance shooting method and was also used to send a communication letter using a '' ya'' (arrow). Letters were tied to the axis of an arrow, pierced with an arrowhead, or inserted into a fusiform part called a ''hikime'' ( ja:蟇目), which was attached behind the arrowhead. **''Sashiyamae'' (差矢前) - It is a shooting method to keep an enemy in check by quickly shooting many arrows. **''Yōmae'' (要前) - It is a practical shooting method in which archers wear Japanese armour. *''Rokka'' (''Riku-ka'', 六科) **''Kyūri'' (弓理) - Theory of Kyūjutsu **''Kyūrei'' (弓礼) - Common general knowledge **''Kyūho'' (弓法) - How to handle a ''yumi'' **''Kyūki'' (弓器) - Knowledge of the types of ''yumi'' **''Kyūko'' (弓工) - Knowledge of ''yumi'' performance and knowledge and practice of repair **''Tanshin'' (丹心) - Mental training


See also

* '' Kyūdō'' – Japanese archery martial art. ** '' Yumi'' – Traditional Japanese bow. ** ''Ya'' (arrow) – Traditional Japanese arrow. * '' Yabusame'' – Japanese archery involving riding a
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
. * '' Inuoumono'' – A Japanese sport that involved mounted archers shooting at dogs. The dogs were released into a circular enclosure approximately 15m across, and mounted archers would fire upon them whilst riding around the perimeter. * '' Kasagake'' – A type of Japanese mounted archery; in contrast to ''yabusame'', the types of targets are various and the archer shoots without stopping the horse. While ''yabusame'' has been played as a part of formal ceremonies, ''kasagake'' has developed as a game or practice of martial arts, focusing on technical elements of horse archery. * '' Tōshiya'' – The Tōshiya, "passing arrow", or "the arrows which hit the target", was an archery exhibition contest held on the west veranda of Sanjūsangen-dō temple in Kyoto, Japan. * '' Shihan Mato'' – A traditional style of Japanese archery using a short bow from a seated position. * The Japanese culture and lifestyle television show '' Begin Japanology'' aired on NHK World featured a full episode on Kyūdō in 2008. * A European's take on kyūdō in '' Zen in the Art of Archery''. * '' Tsurune'' – A Japanese light novel series about a school kyūdō club, later adapted into an anime in 2018 by
Kyoto Animation , often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1985 by husband and wife Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who remain its president and vice-president respectively. Kyoto ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyujutsu Japanese martial arts Japanese archery Ko-ryū bujutsu hu:Kjúdó