Before applying for KCJS, I read up on the program parameters on the KCJS website.  Upon reading about the CIP assignment, I knew that I wanted to do kyudou because I had a previous interest in the martial art.  Initially I had been concerned that I would not be able to do it because I am very petite young woman and was without any form of archery experience.  Nevertheless, I pursued kyudou as my CIP, and began practicing every Monday and Thursday at the Kyoto Budou Center.

When I first entered the Budou Center’s kyudou dojo, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the archers were women around my size (though clearly much stronger than me from their years of practice).  Our teacher Kawaguchi-sensei herself is a sprightly and strong older woman with a commanding presence.  That is not to say that she was cold or unapproachable; on the contrary, she has been so kind and patient with us over the past few months, as have the other archers at the dojo.

Although practices are usually very independent, Kawaguchi-sensei and occasionally the other archers will offer tips and corrections to our postures.  Because kyudou is so ritualized, requiring one to repeat the same pattern of movements before every shot is fired, it is crucial to correct one’s movements before they become too deeply ingrained to be fixed.  I had very little upper body strength before starting kyudou here, so it took almost three months before I was strong enough and good enough to be allowed to move to a larger, heavier bow.  I don’t think that I could ever have imagined how much pride and self-accomplishment I would feel for being allowed to exercise harder.

Kyudou as a whole has served as a catharsis during my months in Japan.  This was my first time abroad, and the experience has been wonderful, but trying at times.  As I’ve become more aware of my linguistic inabilities, I’ve found myself losing self-confidence very rapidly; however, kyudou is an activity that almost entirely transcends the language barrier.  In addition, because there are other students who do not speak Japanese at all, I’ve gained some confidence in being able to translate between Kawaguchi-sensei and those students.  Furthermore, it is a time apart from homework where one focuses only on the ritual of drawing the bow and one’s own body.

Kyudou is definitely a CIP that requires time and effort, but the rewards far outweighed any measly inconveniences.  The support that I felt from Kawaguchi-sensei and the other archers, the atmosphere of the dojo, and the time for self-reflection not only helped rebuild and boost my self-confidence but also allowed me some peaceful time in my continuously active life in Japan.

子供のころ、日本の大衆文化に興味がありました。つまり、漫画とアニメが好きでしたが、他の日本の文化についてあまり知りませんでした。しかし、xxxHOLiC（ホリック）という好きな漫画が日本の民話と伝統的なことについての話だし、大学で日本の文化授業を取ったので、日本の伝統的な文化にも興味をもつようになりました。例えば、xxxHOLiCのキャラクターは射手だから、日本に来たとき弓道という伝統的なスポーツをやりたかったです。

九月から、京都大学の近くにある武道センターでかっこよくて強い川口先生が私ともう一人KCJSの留学生に弓道を教えてくださっています。弓道は難しいスポーツなので、初めは弓矢を使ってはいけませんでした。代わりに、上手な射手を見たり、射法八節という動きを練習したりしました。射法八節は「1.足踏(あしぶ)み｣、｢2.胴造(どうづく)り｣、｢3. 弓構(ゆがま)え｣、｢4.打起(うちおこ)し｣、｢5.引分(ひきわ)け｣、｢6.会(かい)｣、｢7.離(ばな)れ｣、｢8. 残心(ざんしん)｣です。しかし、早く覚えたから、三回目には弓を使い始めて、四回目には矢を使い始めました。むずかしいですが、川口先生はいい先生だから毎回楽しいです。

弓道をやることが好きで、弓道場で日本の言語的な経験ができることも好きです。川口先生は強い人だから、時々｢きみ｣などの日本語を使います(以前に、アニメと漫画ではだけ見たことがありました)。そして、毎回新しい体の単語を習います。それから、川口先生は日本語がを知らないドイツ人の留学生も教えているので、私は翻訳の経験もできます。

だから、弓道に興味があれば、ぜひしてみてください。弓道に興味がなければ、勧めますよ!

Kyuudou, as a sport, is a rather peculiar one. It doesn’t really strive for perfect accuracy and precision (unlike its western counterpart, archery). Instead, it is intensely focused on being able to maintain a perfect form, going through a set of 8 steps (called the hassetsu) while maintaining a very rigid posture. The “sport” of Kyuudou has a huge emphasis on self-discipline, but it does not have an end goal like “getting the highest score” or “being the most accurate”. Or at least, that’s my impression of Kyuudou after doing it for the past few months.

The basic tenet of Kyuudou seems to be “self-improvement”, where you pretty much must discipline yourself to follow those 8 steps that are so vital to Kyuudou. And with no real end goal (like a score, etc), the only real motivation for improvement is your own desire to do so. That, in itself, is a rather refreshing difference from most sports that I do play (basketball, skiing, snowboarding, etc). There’s no real standard you need to compare yourself, you don’t need to get particularly skilled or accurate, you simply need a desire to improve your Kyuudou abilities in a way you see fit. While the hassetsu is quite regimented and strict, at the same time it’s rather freeing due to how you can define your own vision of what you want Kyuudou to be.

With that being said, I don’t find Kyuudou particularly fun or exuberating. Rather, it gives me time to simply focus on something other than the chaos of real life and student assignments, and that shift in focus is a blessing during times of stress. You sort of just forget about the ongoing world around you, and focus on the target in front of your face. You temporarily forget about that paper due in a week, or a test the next day, or ongoing drama amongst your friends, etc. All that matters is that target, and whether you can hit it. Yea, I did talk about how, unlike archery, there aren’t really any defined set goals in Kyuudou. But mine is being able to hit the target where I want it to, so in a sense, my goals in Kyuudou align with what an archery practitioner may strive for. With enough practice, will I ever reach my goal? Who knows, but if I ever do, I know that it was a goal I set for myself.