The gods cursed us with two hands, to trick us into thinking we can do more than one thing at a time. With a million eyes we could see it all. But we only have one, to see only one. Find the one lock, and apply the appropriate key, to open a door that will… Continue reading Only One
Fools. It starts in the mind. Set foot to the mark without proper preparation, and a thousand arrows will be a thousand nails in the coffin. Shoot one honest arrow. And another if you can. And another. Until that single arrow is the only thing you know. Who commands your arrow? Teachers who frown disappointingly… Continue reading It Begins in the Mind
I went to Miyakonojo last week as a renshi godan for a rokudan test, and came back just the same. I didn’t pass! In case you didn’t get that in the first sentence. It came with a whirlwind of emotions and feelings, byproducts of all the effort and hopes that went into this test. A… Continue reading Test Reflections
Training in kyudo can change your life. The bow can be used to make ourselves strong, focused, and develop a greater understanding of the world. We can also make some great friendships along the way. At the highest levels we can cultivate compassion and our sense of service. But it doesn’t necessarily always work out… Continue reading 4 Levels of Training
First of all, Happy New Year! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. What better than the turning of the year to set a new frame of mind. For me, it’s enjoying shooting the bow and arrow in kyudo. I thought of this when watching a pair of dancers that were interviewed on TV. They… Continue reading Enjoy Shooting
Kyudo is about ups and downs. It’s not a machine. It doesn’t fit nicely into a day-planner. It cannot be forced. Kyudo is a natural phenomenon of the universe, its own entity in and of itself, and at the same time an interactive member with everything else it exists along. Kyudo follows certain laws of… Continue reading Where’s the Heart?
Here’s a trick that may be able to help someone with their kao-muke (turning their head properly towards the target) and nobiai (expansion) in the full draw. In the full draw, make the tip of your nose and the tip of your right elbow as far apart as possible. This will help turn your head… Continue reading Trick to Help Kao-muke and Nobiai in the full draw
This is Part V in a series about two very important texts in the kyudo world: the “Raiki-Shagi” and the “Shaho-Kun.” This series is based on information gleaned from the book “Michi no Yumi” (“道の弓”) written by Iwao Matsui Sensei. It’s been a while since the last post in this series, for a lot of… Continue reading Deeper Understanding of the Shaho-Kun and Raiki-Shagi Part V: Jin (仁) “Humanity is our Virtue”
So, apparently all of my momentum from the last posts about the Shaho-Kun and Raiki-Shagi, inspired by the book “Michi no Yumi” by Iwao Matsui Sensei, have come to a giant concrete wall that it just can’t bust through. Looks like it’s going to take some chiseling, at a later point in time. Thank you… Continue reading Get Out of the Dojo
This is Part IV in a series about two very important texts in the kyudo world: the “Raiki-Shagi” and the “Shaho-Kun.” This series is based on information gleaned from the book “Michi no Yumi” (“道の弓”) written by Iwao Matsui Sensei. In this post I will talk about invaluable background information on the Raiki-Shagi, a little… Continue reading Deeper Understanding of the Shaho-Kun and Raiki-Shagi Part IV: Source of the Raiki-Shagi, the “Book of Rites”
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