KYUDO - Mariko Satake／Interview

Kyudo is one of Japan’s traditional martial arts, pairing the bow and arrow (yumiya) in shooting at a target. Bows (yumi) and arrows (ya) used as hunting gear from the Paleolithic period in Japan were developed as weaponry with sophisticated techniques by the samurai society after the 10th century, and also utilized in Shinto rituals and court events from ancient times. DOU is the way of life that comes close to reaching the essence of existence in pursuit of one’s own field. The ultimate goal of Japanese martial arts (budo) such as judo, kyudo, kendo, karatedo, iaido, etc. is not only to acquire the techniques (waza) of these martial skills, but also adhere to the way of life that constantly trains the body and the spirit in building character. The ultimate purpose of Japanese traditional performing/fine arts (geido) such as shodo, nihon-buyo, sado, noh (nogaku), etc. is not simply to acquire the kata (forms), actions, and manners of these artistic skills, but also bring devotion to ceaseless pursuit of perfect beauty without end.