October 16, 2009, Vilnius
Kyudo seminar

Feliks F. Hoff, Kyudo Kyoshi 6 Dan and Connie Brandl-Hoff, Kyudo Renshi 5 Dan

We all, most probably, have read the books about Native  Americans. Almost everyone at least has heard the name of tribes of Apache or Kiowa. And how they used their bows.... Every boy's dream was to shoot the way these archers did. Ok, don't mind the Native Americans, what about the famous Robin Hood from the Sherwood Forest. The whistle of the arrow ... and the enemy is dead. We have also have read or heard about Tatars of Mongolia shooting while riding the horse, or the head hunters from the New Guinea.

And Japan? Everybody knows about Samurai with swords. But about the bows? Many assert that the bow in Japan is rare. It is even possible to hear: "Bows? They have just spears and swords".

All secrets about this phenomenon was uncovered by Feliks F. Hoff, Kyudo Kyoshi 6 Dan and Connie Brandl-Hoff, Kyudo Renshi 5 Dan.

The masters of the Japanese art of archery have been visiting Vilnius three days demonstrating the possibilities of the old art from the rising sun.

Everything appeared to be much different that one could imagine in advance.

No sudden movements. No emotions. Everything is done silently and temperately. Every movement is perfect. At certain moments the watcher gets the feeling that the person and  the bow is one. It becomes impossible to differentiate the two.

The shot lasts ten fifteen minutes. That is how long it takes to fire from the Japanese bow. Of course, the arrow flies much quicker, but the whole process. The purpose is not just to fire the arrow, it has to fly the right way. The most important is not the shot itself, but the spiritual balance before and after the moment the arrow has been fired.

During the seminar it was possible to learn the first basic steps Hassetsu during the seminar with the help of the training tool
Gomu-Yumi and try drawing the true Japanese bow according to the old school Heki-ryu Insai-ha.

The seminar was unexpectedly difficult, though very interesting.

After the seminar the understanding came that the Japanese art of archery is the art of meditation and concentration before and after the fly of the arrow. Kyudo, like everything coming from the country of the flourishing sakura, is the delicate art. You are not born the master of kyudo, you become one through the very long practice.

Inf. LTAF