Kyudo is probably one of the most unusual things I’ve tried. Unfortunately, only for half a year, then coronavirus hit (it was 2020, and the classes have stopped). I was taking classes in Uppsala, here is their website. Saw their exhibition during Uppsala Culture Night, and just signed up 🙂
The way it’s different is, mainly, that it requires a lot of patience. It is also less physical than all of my other activities… It’s great for people who fancy Japanese culture or like to enjoy, I’d say relaxing, ‘meditative’ activities…
You don’t just come and start shooting (which is kinda what I was expecting at first). It takes months before you’re allowed to actually shoot an arrow. Then you’re spending months shooting at a target just 2 m away… It’s difficult to explain, but it’s actually not about hitting the target, it’s about the process. It’s a very long procedure of ‘how’ you take your stand, put an arrow in, the correct way of drawing the bow, etc. Becomes even more difficult when you get to work in a team (I haven’t got to that stage, just observed the others). It’s more like a whole ceremony of walking together, shooting in the right order, leaving the room… There are competitions, here is what it looks like properly 🙂
Yet, somehow, it’s a really enjoyable activity. It’s so much fun to draw that huge bow, it feels awesome when you finally get to shooting, it’s just a completely different experience 🙂
At the classes in Uppsala, we also had some tea in the middle of a long class, which was quite nice.
At some point, if you decide to be serious about it, you can order (you can ask where) the proper clothes. Then you’ll need a special kyudo glove and a bow, you borrow those from the club first, then you can buy your own.
Yes, it’s a very special activity. Maybe not completely suited to my temperament, actually (I like things where you need to jump, and run, and stuff 🙂 ), but many would enjoy it a lot. And it’s always fun to give a shot to something new. Youll learn to wrap and unwrap the bow (which is not easy, trust me), to put on the glove correctly, draw the bow correctly, walk correctly, and then there’s a shooting at the goal 28 m away at the end of it 🙂 You have to be able to enjoy the process!
