Based on Kyūjutsu (the art or technic of the bow), considered for centuries as chief weapon of the fighting man in Japan, Kyūdō (way of the bow and arrow) was born by the time the Tokugawa had unified the nation and Kyūjutsu had involved into a discipline of mental and spiritual coordination.
Built upon the philosophical principals of Buddhism and Taoism and adapted to the Japanese mentality by schools of Zen, traditional Kyūdō is practiced extensively today in Japan and by thousands of people worldwide.
A Kyūdō competition is about the training of an archer's spirit and how to achieve emotional stability. Competitors, through the spirit and dignity of their shooting, should be able to move, emotionally, those who watch. Competitors are scored based on the continuous flow of their movements from walking to breathing, various technical aspects, and its overall beauty.
The video below shows The Koshiya Kumiyumi demonstration performed by the designated Cultural Heritage group, the "Satsuma Heki-Ryu Koshiya Kumiyumi" from Izumi, Kagoshima.
Koshiya Kumiyumi is a method of battlefield created by Heki Ryu, an old archery school from the Muromachi period. Practiced by foot soldiers archers, dressed in full armor, work together in formations to ensure successful advancement towards the enemy line.
