Quality vs Quantity

Quality vs Quantity

They sometimes say that kyudo is all a matter of how many arrows we shoot.

I attended a few seminars with Takeshi Shibata Hachidan Hanshi. On one of these we were out to dinner with the 'heads' of kyudo in America, and Shibata Hanshi was giving us a lecture. He said (my translation so give it some room), 'something is wrong'. You guys seem sincere in your practice, and your students look pretty good, but something is wrong.' It seemed a rhetorical question or perhaps we were just embarrassed into silence... but our silence begged for more and he added, 'you guys can't shoot'.

Takeshi Shibata Sensei
Photo compliments of Rosemarie Read of Panama Kyudo Kai

Now Shibata Hanshi is one of the best shooters in Japan; for example on another seminar he was showing us how the body expands during hikiwake and especially to produce the hanare; he wasn't really concentrating on the target, but all of the 20 (or so) arrows he shot hit the target. (he wasn't even wearing a glove, just a little gauze on his right thumb).

He then sent us all off to try and emulate this expansion. As we all walked away I turned and asked, 'Sensei, how did you do that?' 'Do what?' he responded. 'You hit the target every time!' I said. 'Oh' He replied, 'I teach high school students; if I can't do that, they won't listen to me'.

I thought that was the end of the great lesson, when he said, 'I tell you what, I'm going to shoot one more and put it in the right corner'. Of course, I believed he meant the right corner of the target; but you know what, he put it in the right corner of the bulls eye! Still I thought he meant the right corner of the target, until he said, 'this one in the left corner', and it flew right into the left lower corner of the bulls eye; this one I'll put in middle', and he did... right smack dead center between the other two.

Now back to dinner... Sensei continued, 'You seem sincere in your practice, but something is wrong'. He seemed to wait for an answer this time, for us to explain why 'we can't shoot'.... 'why we can't hit the target'. 'Well', someone responded, 'You're right Sensei, we are sincere, and we teach the best we can, and shoot the best we can, I guess we don't know what we're doing wrong?' And with this we asked for his help. 'Well...' he asked, 'how many arrows do you shoot everyday?' 'Oh, everyday' we said, 'well, you know we have families and jobs during the week, and even on weekends we're usually teaching we don't always get a chance to shoot much ourselves...' and he cut us off. 'Ah, well there's the problem then.'

At this point someone was brave enough to ask, 'Sensei, how do you do it?'

'Oh' He said, 'in the morning I go to the dojo and shoot 100 arrows, I hit those 100. Then if students show up, I teach them. If not, then I shoot 100 more.'

That's 100 to 200 arrows a day! No wonder he can shoot so well. But there are a couple more lessons in there. He doesn't say he hits the first 100 to boast; it tells us that he doesn't waste them, he shoots them with care, he's not just 'chucking' them down there without giving each one it's due attention.

Also the main lesson for those of us at the dinner was 'before the student's arrive he shot 100'... and everyday he practiced. From that day on I try to shoot everyday, certainly I practice everyday even if it's sit, stand, bow & tote renshu in a hotel room. One of my students who heard this story began shooting 100 arrows a day too, and he got pretty good too.

Satoshi Sagino Shihan of Muyoshingetsu-ryu

On the other side of this coin is Sagino Shihan of our Muyoshingetsu school. Who told us to put everything we have into one shot. 'Shoot everyday' he said, 'shoot one arrow, and put your whole-self into that arrow... exhaust yourself completely'. We have a student who hearing this now takes 3 hours to shoot that one arrow every day. Cleaning and preparing his backyard space... cleaning and preparing his equipment and clothes... meditation... and beautiful taihai and hassetsu to release that one arrow...folding his kimono and hakama neatly... and putting everything away. And you know, he's really good too. My eyes once asked him about this practice, and he said, 'you know... when you only shoot one arrow... and it takes 3 hours of your day... you never waste that arrow'.

In the middle was Onuma Sensei, who on one visit to Los Angeles told us, 'Shoot 10 arrows every day. With 10 arrows you can really focus, many more and it's difficult. So shoot 10 arrows everyday without fail'.

Hideharu Onuma Sensei.
Photo from the book 'Kyudo - The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery'
By Hideharu Onuma with Dan and jackie DeProspero

Since both quality and quantity obviously count, I think each of these approaches has merit. Each can have a place in our practice throughout the year. If I were to choose, I think I would choose quality over quantity; so the one arrow would be the best practice; but the guy who shoots 100 may beat you in the tournament; so maybe that's the best practice; but do we really have time in our busy lives for 100 or 200 arrows a day, can we really give each of those the quality our practice demands? If so, 100 is a great practice. Maybe the 10 a day is the best balance? I like balance and middle road, so my practice for many years followed this 10 a day. Today sometimes I shoot one arrow with all I've got; at least once a year, and sometimes coming up to it, we have our 108 arrows shoot; mostly with my hitori geiko (solitary practice) I shoot hitote (a handful, or in kyudo we define this as 2).

quality vs. quantity. both count. Again if I were to choose, I would probably choose quality. But they are not really separate; shoot as many quality arrows as you have time, energy, and attention to give them.

However many arrows you decide to shoot each day is up to you. But please practice everyday. And put your wholeself into that entire practice. Put your wholeself into your entire life... every moment of every day. The rest of our lives depends on it.

Thank you,

Zen and Arts

Though I know that most martial artists know really nothing of Zen; I also know that most Zen practitioners know really nothing of the martial arts. Or do they?

Actually though it has been rare that the two intertwine directly, they have mixed and merged throughout their entire history.

Zen began with the warrior prince become buddha, then in China was promoted by the warrior prince became founder of Chan, and merged with the warrior class of Japan and their Shinto Rituals as Zen when it arrived there, The Zen influence on Japan is well known and accepted.

For me, my Zen heritage is quite clear on it's support on the intertwinement of Zen and the Martial Arts. Also my Martial Arts teachers, and Geido (Japanese Artistic Arts) teachers both embraced their Zen roots. So for me, at least, there is no question.

I guess this is all I need then. For me and my teachers, for me and my arts, our 'do' is Zen in motion.

Everyone else will have to decide for themselves.

Other noted Sensei of the past who included Zen/Buddhism in their Budo.
Sudamune Ogasawara.
Hojo Toriyori was a great supporter of Zen, and Hojo Tokumune was a strong practitioner of Zen.
Kamiizumi Ise No Kami
Yagyu Munetoshi
Yagyu Munenori
Ibaraki Sensai
Yamaoka Tessu (19th c.)
Yamada Mûmon 山田 無文
Umeji Kenran
Awa Kenzo
Anazawa
Suhara Koun

The 'Dō' 道 arts of Japan and 'Zen' 禅

Zen 禅 is a form of Buddhism that arrived in Japan from India as Dhana via China as Channa. The Japanese version of this is Zenna or Zen.

Dhana is a form of Buddhist meditation, absorption meditation to be precise. It is said by the Zen Masters that this is the meditation Shakyamuni Butsu (The founder of Buddhism) experienced to awaken to the true nature of reality.

As Dhana traveled through China it absorbed much of the Chinese thought, especially the principles and language of Taoism. It is this mixture that became Chinese Channa or Chan.

The same happened in Japan with the Descendants of Dogen Zenji (the founder Soto Zen in Japan), when they mixed and merged the Chan with the existing teachings of Japanese thought. It is this combination that we now know of as Zen.

The 'Dō' 道 of Japan is the Japanese pronunciation of Chinese Tao 道.
The dō existed in Japan along with Confucianism and Buddhism in Japan since the 6th Century AD. But these Taoist aspects played a minor role until Zen came to Japan. The dō arts of Japan reflect this influence of  Zen on the arts.

This is most easily seen as the role Zen played in reviving the sacred portions of arts like Calligraphy, Flower arrangement, Tea Ceremony and the other arts the aristocracy were playing with. The Zen monks interacted very strongly with the Warrior Class of Japan as well; and influenced their understanding of the world greatly.

Especially after peace time during the Tokogawa Shogunate...

Dōjō道場 (Way Place, A place for Training in The Way)

Dōjō道場 (Way Place, A place for Training in The Way)

The original term 道場 dōjō was used in Buddhist temples to denote a training hall. Not usually martial arts in the beginning, but later they began to be used this way. Today the term is most well known as a martial arts training all. But it is a hall to train in The Way; In the Temple, The Way was expected to refer to A Way of the Dharma.

Ogasawara Family and In/Yo Theory

"A propriety, horsemanship, and archery traditions and technique succeeded by the Ogasawara school are firmly based on the Ying and Yang thought.The Ying and Yang thought was imported from China. Almost 1400 years ago, in Heian ( it means "peace") period in Japan, this thought became a vital foundation of universal scholarship and all natural phenomenon. It has been thought that the universe itself is built up by the Ying and Yang, invisible but mighty power circulation and balance of two conflicting components, e.g. light and shadow, plus and minus, sun and moon etc. A fundamental orientation and mathematics derived from the Ying and Yang thought largely influence the patterns of licensed arrows provided by the Ogasawara school and a field and altar arrangement of ritual archery ceremonies, however, the point that should be specially noted is "Ying and Yang"; shout ( in Japanese, it pronounces "In‐ Yo" ) by the Yabusame archers on horses at the Yabusame ritual ceremony. By shouting In‐Yo, their spirits and souls are able to correspond with the universe in other words almighty God."

The above is from the Ogasawara Family

below is my comment:

In/Yo Theory or the principles of yin and yang come from Chinese Taoism. Taoism arrived in Japan along with Buddhism and Confucianism in the 6th century AD. But Taoism was the weakest of the 3, bearing such a resemblance to the existing shaministic practices and beliefs already in Japan that it only existed in the periphery, and within the mix of the 3 which became knows as Jukyo.

The Ogasawara Family established for us the foundations of what culminated in what we now think of as Traditional Japanese Culture. The In/Yo theory that they used is based on the principles of Taoist thought. In/Yo theory entered Japan within the Jukyo combination of influences from the mainland. Jukyo consists primarily of Confucian Values, Buddhist Ceremonies, and Taoist Principles... pretty much in this order. To the extent that Jukyo is sometimes translated as Confucianism. But in talking with the Japanese about what is Jukyo, the principles described are Taoist; so as stated, Jukyo is Confucian Values, Buddhist Ceremonies, and Taoist Principles, just as this In/Yo Theory used by the Ogasawara Family suggests.

Zen too came to Japan as Buddhism; but quickly, under the descendants of Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) (who brought what we now call Soto Zen Buddhism to Japan) again the Jukyo was incorporated, and along with that indigenous ideas were incorporated into Zen as well. This combination of all, roots from Japan and all the jukyo from the mainland combine in varying ways, and in varying degrees, to create what we now call Traditional Japanese Culture.

The Ogasawara Patriarch most responsible for the strengthening of the Ogasawara Teaching, and establishing it as the Japanese Way was Sadamune Ogasawara (1292-1347). Sadamune studied under the Zen Master Seisetsu Shoho and used these teachings to re-establish Ogawawara-ryu of the time. He took the principles of Zen and incorporated them more strongly into the Jukyo Principles already in place.

The other principles that we think of as Traditional Japanese Culture, come directly from Buddhism and particularly Zen. Zen Masters brought a particular taste and way of practicing to such things as tea, calligraphy, and flower arrangement. They took what for some had been just past times for those outside of the temple, and brought the flavor of the temple back into them, since that's where they came from in the first place.

They also had great influence over warriors of the time who developed their warrior practices into 'do' arts during peacetime particularly. This 'do' is the Japanese pronunciation of Tao. All of the 'do' arts of Japan have some basis, to one degree or another, to the Jukyo and Zen influence, since they were the bringers of in/yo theory, the basis of 'do'."

Ogasawara-ryu Genealogy notes

Ogasawara-ryu Genealogy

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Genealogy
The Ogasawara family is from the Minamoto family line. The first of the Minamoto was Prince Tsunemoto, grandson of the Emperor Seiwa and an excellent archer and horseman. One of the most noteworthy of the Minamoto was Tsunemoto no Yoshiie under whose leadership the family's power increased greatly. Yoshiie's brother, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, was the progenitor of the Ogasawara.
Yoshimitsu's great-grandson, Tomitsu, was highly skilled in both literary and military arts. Due to his bravery during the suppression of the Taira, he was given an honorary post. He further distinguished himself during the reign of the Emperor Takakura, when he was called on to shoot a mysterious light that was assailing the Emperor's court. Tomitsu's son, Nagakiyo, was the first to be called Ogasawara, after his home village in Kai province (now Yamanashi Prefecture). The Ogasawara's reputation for excellence in archery and horsemanship was already well-established at this point, and as a family document indicates: "After Nagakiyo became known as Ogasawara, the family's skill in military arts became more and more celebrated."

Nagakiyo served Yoritomo no Minamoto as master of archery and horsemanship, further increasing the fame of the Ogasawara. Etiquette, however, was not among the pressing needs of the warrior class at the height of the Kamakura Period, so Nagakiyo did not teach it.

It was the 7th Headmaster, Sadamune Ogasawara, who reintroduced etiquette to the arts of archery and horsemanship. For this he is called the restorer of the Ogasawara school. It is from the 7th Sadamune's teaching that the Ogasawara school as we know it today descended. Sadamune studied under the Zen Master Seisetsu Shoho and stressed the Zen components of their teaching, and incorporated them even more strongly into the Ogaswara-ryu. This paved the way for continuing evolution of the arts which we now know as the 'do' arts of Japan.

Sadamune served the Emperor Godaigo during the period between the collapse of the Kamakura Shogunate and the establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate. The Emperor took him into service on account of his great contribution to the downfall of the Kamakura, and assured him that the Ogasawara school of etiquette would become the code of the warrior class. Sadamune subsequently joined the forces of the Muromachi Shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, serving as master of etiquette and thus adding to his good reputation.

The Ogasawara continued to serve the Ashikaga from generation to generation. They taught not only archery and horsemanship, but also the rites of manhood, wedding rites, and the other ceremonial etiquette.

Three generation after Sadamune, a man named Nagahide compiled the "Sangi Itto", the cornerstone of Ogasawara etiquette. The volume was written at the behest of the third of the Ashikaga shoguns, Yoshimitsu, who deplored the deterioration of ancient courtier manners.

During the Warring States Period, the Ogasawara were charged with protecting the province of Shinano (now Nagano Prefecture). They fought Takeda Shingen several times, losing their territory but eventually regaining it under the banner of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The family head, Sadayoshi, handed down the "Seven Volumes of Ogasawara Etiquette" to his heir Hidemasa during this period. Unlike later systems of etiquette that only boast of splendor, these volumes provide an authentic explanation of the unadorned grace of warrior-class manners.

When the battle of Osaka broke out in the summer of 1615, Hidemasa and his heir, Tadanaga, went to the field in support of the Tokugawa and died heroic deaths. In return for their loyalty, the Ogasawara were named the ruling family of Akashi, Harima Province (now western Hyogo Prefecture), a fief with an annual yield of 110,000 koku of rice. Subsequently, they were named the rulers of Kokura, Buzen Province (now northeastern Fukuoka and northern Oita Prefectures), a fief with a yield of 150,000 koku of rice.

During the Edo Period, the Ogasawara instructed the succeeded elite of the shogunate in the fine points of etiquette. Even the general population began to bear the Ogasawara mark, as they increasingly adopted the manners of the warrior class. The Ogasawara code of etiquette was exhaustive. It explained rituals for annual events, furniture arrangement, how to change and fold clothes, how to write cards correctly, how to eat in a proper manner, how to wrap gifts, and more.
In the Meiji Era the head of the Ogasawara was given the title of count.

Ogasawara History notes

Ogasawara family is a lineage of the Seiwa Genji. 

The 1st headmaster of Ogaswara-ryu was Nagakiyo Ogasawara (I found 2 records, one says born in Koshu (nowadays it is known as Yamanashi prefecture) in 1162, and the other with the dates 1185-1333?). His father was Kagami-jiro-tomitsu, his mother was a daughter of Wada yoshimori. The Ogasawara village really existed, however, the name has changed to Minami Alps city.

It has been said that the surname "Ogasawara" was provided to Nagakiyo by the Emperor Takakura.
Nagakiyo is an ancestor of all the families named "Ogasawara" today. When Nagakiyo was 26 years old, he became Minamoto-Yoritomo's personal teacher of mounted archery and manner. 

Minamoto-yoritomo is a founder of Japan's first warrior government. The Ogasawara family served the Shogun of the Kamakura era (the Minamoto shogunate), the Muromachi era (the Ashikaga shogunate), and the Edo era (the Tokugawa shogunate) as the martial teacher.


It was the 7th Sadamune who reintroduced etiquette to the arts of archery and horsemanship. For this he is called the restorer of the Ogasawara school. It is from the 7th Sadamune's teaching that the Ogasawara school as we know it today descended. Sadamune studied under the Zen Master Seisetsu Shoho and stressed the Zen components of their teaching, and incorporated them even more strongly into the Ogaswara-ryu. This paved the way for continuing evolution of the arts which we now know as the 'do' arts of Japan.

Sadamune served the Emperor Godaigo during the period between the collapse of the Kamakura Shogunate and the establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate. The Emperor took him into service on account of his great contribution to the downfall of the Kamakura, and assured him that the Ogasawara school of etiquette would become the code of the warrior class. Sadamune subsequently joined the forces of the Muromachi Shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, serving as master of etiquette and thus adding to his good reputation.

The Ogasawara continued to serve the Ashikaga from generation to generation. They taught not only archery and horsemanship, but also the rites of manhood, wedding rites, and the other ceremonial etiquette.

Three generation after Sadamune, a man named Nagahide compiled the "Sangi Itto", the cornerstone of Ogasawara etiquette. The volume was written at the behest of the third of the Ashikaga shoguns, Yoshimitsu, who deplored the deterioration of ancient courtier manners.

During the Warring States Period, the Ogasawara were charged with protecting the province of Shinano (now Nagano Prefecture). They fought Takeda Shingen several times, losing their territory but eventually regaining it under the banner of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The family head, Sadayoshi, handed down the "Seven Volumes of Ogasawara Etiquette" to his heir Hidemasa during this period. Unlike later systems of etiquette that only boast of splendor, these volumes provide an authentic explanation of the unadorned grace of warrior-class manners.

When the battle of Osaka broke out in the summer of 1615, Hidemasa and his heir, Tadanaga, went to the field in support of the Tokugawa and died heroic deaths. In return for their loyalty, the Ogasawara were named the ruling family of Akashi, Harima Province (now western Hyogo Prefecture), a fief with an annual yield of 110,000 koku of rice. Subsequently, they were named the rulers of Kokura, Buzen Province (now northeastern Fukuoka and northern Oita Prefectures), a fief with a yield of 150,000 koku of rice.

During the Edo Period, the Ogasawara instructed the succeeded elite of the shogunate in the fine points of etiquette. Even the general population began to bear the Ogasawara mark, as they increasingly adopted the manners of the warrior class. The Ogasawara code of etiquette was exhaustive. It explained rituals for annual events, furniture arrangement, how to change and fold clothes, how to write cards correctly, how to eat in a proper manner, how to wrap gifts, and more.
In the Meiji Era the head of the Ogasawara was given the title of count.

Kiyokane Ogasawara, the 28th headmaster of Ogasawara-ryu. Kiyokane served the Tokugawa shogun and in 1862 he totally organized the royal wedding of Princess Kazunomiya, a sister of the Emperor.

In 1879, he dedicated the Yabusame ritual at the Imperial Palace. His Yabusame ritual was watched by Emperor Meiji at the Ueno Park.

In 1880, Kiyokane opened the Ogasawara school to the public in Kanda Tokyo and he taught etiquette at the girls schools.

Kiyoaki Ogasawara, the 29th headmaster of Ogasawara-ryu. Kiyoaki dedicated Yabusame ritual to celebrate the establishment of Meiji Shrine in 1920.  He revived the Yabusame ceremony at many shrines like Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Kasama Inari Shrine, and so on.

kiyonobu Ogasawara, the 30th headmaster of Ogasawara-ryu. Kiyonobu dedicated the ritual Yabusame ceremony at many shrines. And he also dedicated other ritual archery ceremonies, Ohmato-Shiki, Momote-Shiki, and Kusajishi-Shiki. He explained the physical movement of Ogasawara-ryu from a scientific point of view,

To teach Ogasawara-ryu for a living is strictly prohibited by the family tradition for the purpose of passing on Ogasawara-ryu correctly. So, he worked as a professor of Meiji University.

Los Angeles Kyudo Kai

Kyudo came to the United States from Japan in the early years of the twentieth century, reaching Los Angeles as early as 1908 with scattered individuals practicing around the city and the beginnings of a group called the Rafu (the local Japanese pronunciation of “L.A.”) Kyudo Kai. As early as 1916, Mr. Suda Chokei had founded the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai, and the group practiced together regularly. From 1920 to 1928, Mr. Miwa Tanechiko taught the Heike style of archery. Students met at a dojo located on what was then Jackson Street in Little Tokyo, near the intersection of San Pedro and First Streets. A second dojo was located in Boyle Heights on St. Louis Street, near Hollenbeck Park. Vintage photographs and a collection of artifacts from the first dojo survive to this day. World War II caused a grave and decades-long disruption in the practice of kyudo in Los Angeles. Because kyudo was considered a martial art, bows and arrows used by practitioners were seized as weapons by the federal government, and those that escaped confiscation were either burned or buried by their fearful owners. The Jackson Street martial arts center was closed and eventually demolished, and for the duration of the war, Japanese-Americans were relocated to internment camps. After the war, individuals resumed their practice in isolation without the help and support of an instructor, and there was no official kyudo dojo in Los Angeles for over thirty years. In 1973, Rev. Koen Mishima arrived in Los Angeles from Japan to minister at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple. He practiced kyudo in the temple's basement by himself for a long time; one day, he was photographed as he was practicing. Iwao Iwata saw that photograph displayed at an exhibition, and he became Mishima-sensei's first student. Eventually the two of them were joined by Rev. Hirokazu Kosaka (a priest from a neighboring temple), Rev. Kiyomaru Mishima (Mishima-sensei's younger brother), and an American man named Mike Stanley. By 1976, Mishima-sensei and Kosaka-sensei officially reinstated the old Los Angeles Kyudo Kai, and weekly taught a growing number of students in a variety of locations: from 1973–1978, at the Higashi Honganji Temple; from 1978–1981 in the basement of Koyasan Temple in Little Tokyo; from 1982–1992, in the beautiful wood-paneled church hall of the Nichiren Temple in East Los Angeles, at the corner of Fourth Street and Saratoga; from 1993–1999, in the Rafu Chuo Gakuen Community Hall on Saratoga. From 2000 to the present, the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai has met with the Nanka Kyudo Kai at the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute. In 1996 The Nanka Kyudo Kai was formed by Rick Beal with permission from Kosaka-sensei to represent the growth of their group beyond Los Angeles to include all of Southern California. Nanka is the word used by the local Japanese Community to mean "Southern California." Today kyudo is represented in Southern California by a few groups, some formed by previous students of Sensei Rick Beal of the Nanka Kyudo Kai, Rick Sensei himself, and of course Hirokazu Kosaka Sensei of the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai continues to honor those that first brought the bow to the area.

Kokoro no yoi

https://sites.google.com/site/seishinkankyudo/kokoro-no-yoi

Archery in buddhism

Besides being a weapon of war and killing others,  in many ancient texts on buddhism listed among the sacred implements is the bow and arrow. This relationship has existed since at least the time of Shakyamuni Butsu. Before being a sage he was the prince, and the best archer in the land. Even before buddhism the bow and arrow were considered sacred in many religious circles.

The same is true in Japan, the bow and arrow were sacred long before buddhism came.

In China Confucianism used archery as a gentlemanly pursuit as well. But most interesting for buddhism is the choice of Chinese Characters being a man standing with a bow and two arrows to represent a Buddha.

When buddhism arrives in Japan with these same characters, and finds the sacred use of the bow already in place, a syncretic effect takes place in Japanese archery. By the 12th century, simultaneous with the arrival of Zen Buddhism, the evolution caused by this effect really starts to take shape.

In this day and age Zen enjoyed much of their patronage from families of the warrior nobility.

Prominent families, to one degree or another, often would mix, match and merge the teachings from the mainland like Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism with the indigenous religion of Shinto and its sacred practices with the bow.

How much this happened in any given school varied greatly. The mixture too, even when all elements were present, which elements took prominence varied. But most were effected at least a touch by one or more of these elements.

This evolution took on even greater speed during peace time in Japan. The evolution has never stopped with even archery done for sport being effected.

There are some schools that from the beginning were heavily influenced by Buddhism. In most cases the influence has increased over time, and today this continues to be true.

For those of us in Buddhism, we know of this sacred use of the bow, but the strength of that use has always been minimal at best.

In Japan the existing sacred use, allowed some monks, especially those who might be retired warriors to use the bow. So we see the actual use of the bow as a sacred implement in buddhism most prominently in Japan.

With the arrival of Zen Buddhism, and its patronage by the warrior class, this happens even more often;
Among temple life were many activities that took the form of great art like the serving of tea, incense offering, flower arrangements, calligraphy, and more. These arts infiltrated the aristocracy as games.

With the closer relationship of Zen Monks and the warrior nobility we see a greater influence to not just play, but to bring the games into line with the artistic method of the temple. As this happens we see the Zen Monks bringing this way to all the warrior arts of the day, especially the sword, but also the bow and arrow. A few Zen Monks too take up these arts as part of this interaction with the warrior families. Reviving again the sacred Buddhist use of the bow.

Today, few outside of the Zen sect use the bow in this way. But here too, there may be a few. We probably just don't hear much about them.

Even the bit I write here, to some is almost sacrilege. Many prefer to stay out of history, quietly practicing. To float as a cloud, leaving no wake in their passing...

Rei the act of bowing as manners

'Sha wa, rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru,'' = Shooting begins with etiquette and ends with etiquette.

The Rei occurs as we are standing up completely straight, and the next in breath begins, when there is no where up to go... naturally we bow, relaxing out from our center... just before we reach the pinnicle of the bow, our air flows out... as we breath in again, we rise back to our upright position; but in fact, since we bowed as a result of upright standing, we were upright the entire time.

Rei means manners

Kyudo begins & ends with Rei. 

Rei is manners & Rei is the physical act of bowing. Thus 'upright' bowing, showing respect and humility from a postion of strength is the physical manifestation of manners.

Rei begins and ends with the Tanden.

Awareness is the first step. Awareness of the Tanden is the core of the pracitce. All practice leads with... to... and from the Tanden. With the mind stable and established in the Tanden, we look out... gazing gently... seeing all that is, as it is. In this way we move in the world, with the world... without moving away from the Tanden. Thus we are moving without moving.

The path to the Tanden has always been breathing and relaxing. The path from the Tanden has always been bone and extension... Structure and Vision.

Awareness of the Tanden, through the art of breathing & relaxing, then, is the first step. This is a natural step that happens whenever we do not interfer. Like this, through gravity, with a small tether to the Tanden (like a plumb bob) we drop to the center of the earth. From the center of the earth we stand up; from the sacred tail/root bone we stand up; the spine, nape of he neck and crown of the head reach to the heaven (never leaving the center of the earth, or the Tanden, but merging the earth and sky with the tanden as the center of this universe. From Heaven to earth we hang... suspended...

From this upright posture, anything is possible... everything is possible.

Kyudo - Rancho Park 1983 - 2014

Breath, Blood, and Bone

In martial arts training there is a time when we need to remind ourselves that there are inner workings to the art as well as external. It can be easy to get caught up in the physical actions that we must perform, and forget that they rely and interact with aspects that we can't see.

There is a teaching that brings this to mind called kokyu, kodo, kotsu: breath, heartbeat, and bone. Or sometimes we say breath, blood, and bone.

Breathing and heartbeat are fundamental to our lives. This is a common way to tell if we are alive even, isn't it? Are they alive? are they breathing? is there a pulse? I think you see the point.

Our breath is invisible but it deals with the flow of air from outside to inside and back again. More than philosophically it joins us with our outside environment.

Our blood and bone too, unless we get a wound, we don't see them. But we can feel them inside of us, and they can give us a feeling for what is going on inside.

All Japanese martial arts rely on the Tanden. The Tanden is the core of ourselves. Almost all the schools, when they wrote down their teachings say something like, 'the teaching begins and ends with the tanden'.
The trick is how to find this invisible and elusive point within us. Most often we are simply reminded to look inside. Quite often, this is advise is not enough and we need some tools. Breath, blood, and bone have served as these tools since ancient times. Or even when we find the tanden, how do we manifest it in our lives. Ah, once again the same tools are available: breath, blood, and bone.

This teaching is not my own, or just for a few. But has been handed down through many traditions as a way to enliven our daily interactions. Awareness of our breath, blood, and bone remind us of many other inner dimensions that we live with, and bring awareness to many other aspects of our daily lives.

thank you for listening,
rick 'jyozen' beal

Spiritual Martial Arts - Zen in the Japanese Arts (draft)

Before Zen in Japan, there was Chan in China; and before Chan in China there was Dhana in India. All of these are forms of Buddhism. Buddhism was formed by followers of Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni is the Sage of the Shakya Clan.

Before Shakyamuni was a sage, he was the prince of the Shakya Clan; but left his wife and family to become a yogi, and to find the release from suffering for all human beings. Once he awoke to the Way of Liberation from suffering; he became Shakyamuni.

As the prince, he was the best archer and one of the best warriors in the land. In yoga too there were methods of using yoga as spiritual training and martial arts; though this was not mainstream yoga it did exist.

Dhyana came to China as a separate Buddhist sect by the teachings of Bodai Daruma.  Bodaidaruma also taught some form of this martial yoga to the monks he was training; both as a means of self-defense, a way to be healthy, a way to stay awake, and a training method of the Way. These monks may have already been exposed to their own training methods as well, though the written history of the time was written and re-written, and does not always agree with the many versions of oral history passed down as well. Most scholars, of course, favor the written records as they find them and distrust and discount the oral history; logically this makes sense, but as monks we take at face value the oral history we are given, and simply allow for poetic license to convey an underlying truth, even if the written 'fact's may not bear it out as actual history.

But we do know that both in India, in China, and in Japan there were martial practices that were simultaneously used by monks as training methods on the Way,

The biggest overlap and confusion comes to play in Japan; where some warriors, though few in the scheme of things also followed to some degree portions of Buddhist practice. Also there were warrior monks in some sects; so it can be easy to mix and merge the idea that all Japanese Warriors practiced Zen for instance; but this simply is not true. Most probably borrowed some Buddhist practices and ideas in their lives; all Japanese did that to some degree. The jukyo from the mainland consisted of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Japanese Culture consists of this jukyo combined with their own way of thought. Japanese Zen too, consists of all 4 of these; as it came to Japan and the followers of Dogen Zenji (founder of Soto Zen) encouraged this blending.

But what I am speaking of here is not the warriors who may have touched on Buddhist or Zen in their lives. I'm talking about the few individuals that brought this combination, or re-discovered it in their own lives, of martial arts and spiritual life. It was there for a few in Yoga, even before Shakyamuni; and it was there in China, even before Bodaidaruma; and it was in Japan before buddhism came.

This practice has always existed, and is being re-discovered again today by many martial artists; either through a lineage that has always had it; or in one that was recently re-discovered by a master of their own art in the last few hundred years. Or perhaps by an individual today that now realizes that not only can it be done, but that it always has been done....

Zen in Japanese Traditional Archery

For most people, maybe especially in Japan, kyudo is not associated directly with Zen. There are only a few schools of actual Zen Archery. But, as we have discussed, whether an individual practices in one of these schools, or in one that does more of a sport, or dan ranking emphasis, or one of those that has a focus on simply the Japanese Tradition itself... it's all kyudo. The only exception I make to this, if they like, the schools that have retained just the jitsu portion of the practice, and have an interest only in technique itself... these may wish not to use the term kyudo, and also retain the kyujitsu term to describe their practice; and that's fine.

There were no actual Zen Archery schools per se, until Umeji Kenran Roshi and followers of Awa Kenzo Sensei, Like Suhara Roshi and his predecessor's created them. But what they borrowed from to do this, was not schools of Zen Archery, but of Zen Schools that had archers. Primarily these two schools were not born out of Zen, but out of these archers own personal spiritual revelation. They were not the first to do this, but this practice too was not common in Zen, we are still talking about a miniscule portion of the yumi community, and few Zen Archers. Technically speaking only those of us under one of these strains of the practice are doing Zen Archery.

 99.9% of the kyudo practitioners are simply doing modern Japanese archery, and this is called kyudo, just like we do. So we are all doing kyudo. The term Kyudo came from yumi no michi, in fact the same kanji are used for both, so only our oral history tells us which one was actually used.

The term yumi no michi was used when the yumi was used in sacred rituals, and exists in the earliest writings of the Japanese people, and the practice of using the yumi as a ritual implement goes back to the origination of its asymmetrical design.

 

These rituals were often performed by Shaman with a yumi, but could have just as likely been done by a warrior at the direction of Shamen. This was not Zen Archery, Zen, and even Buddhism had not arrived in Japan yet.

When buddhism arrived, the practice continued much like this. Though Prince Tashi and his court used the principles they were learning from the mainland to codify the practices, including the first kyujitsu school Tashi-ryu. These principles, coming from the mainland were all based on jyukyo. Jyukyo is basically the combination of Confucianist, Buddhist, and Taoist thought. But as always in Japan, these began to meld often with the existing Shamistic ideas, and what we now call Shinto was beginning to form, and yumi no michi was part of this.

This is exactly the portion of Zen that the warrior class in Japan embraced, whether they retired into 'monkhood' or not.

From the time of Prince Taishi tthe process of jyukyo incorporating itself into Japanese Culture began.

Kukai, or Koboh Daishi, the founder of Japanese Shingon Buddhism, was another catalyst for this process. Coming from Tendai Buddhism, as all the founders of Japanese Buddhist sects began there. But Tendai Buddhism is little changed from its mainland roots, Koboh Daishi allowed much more integration with indigenous ideas, and Buddhism became much more 'Japanese'.

 

A main catalyst for warriors and Jukyo to mix was with the Ogasawara Family who used jukyo, and what they term as in/yo theory for their Ogasawara-ryu. Jyukyo, though it includes all three Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, is often translated as Confucianism. And indeed, the etiquette of Ogasawara-ryu is steeped in Confucianism, and is the core of their teaching. Their yumi no michi based on what we now call Shinto, the in/yo theory is the Japanese version of Tao, and the the Taoist thought was minor in jyukyo. But major in Chan and Zen Buddhism. It is from here that they brought in for their tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, and the other geido arts.

From the beginning, jukyo and indigenous ideas began to mix into everything the Japanese did. This was true for all classes of society to one degree or another. But the mixture was not the same for every class. Nobility, warriors, peasants, merchants... for each the mixture was different.

As it is in Japan, the Ogasawara-ryu emphasized the mixture in all the practices, no matter what implement a person had in their hand, these principles that had now become 'Japanese' principles were the way to conduct oneself. This is what was then, and what is now Japanese Culture. This same thing, at the same time happened in Zen. And Zen became infused with exactly the same mixture, but of course from a primarily Buddhist emphasis. This mixture is the fine distinction between Chan in China, and Zen in Japan.

The traditional Japanese Culture we have today is very much like the Japanese Culture that the Ogasawara Family gave us. Zen simply evolved at the same time along similar ideas, and this is why they are sometimes used synonymously. It is simply that they both embody what has become Japanese Culture. So although all Zen Practitioners embody Japanese Culture, not all those who embody Japanese Culture are doing Zen.

Perhaps only those of us doing Zen, may really be doing Zen Archery. But all of us doing kyudo, definitely embody Japanese Culture.

Kyudo, Japanese Zen Archery. April 25, 26, 27, 2014. Santa Cruz California

Kyujitsu vs. Kyudo

The difference between Kyujitsu and Kyudo is a common question. Not so much in Japan, of course, but in the West.

Basically Kyujitsu developed into Kyudo. It did so from a ancient tradition of yumi no michi, the way of the bow. The Japanese bow has since time immemorial been used in a sacred manner; first with shamanistic rituals and later in some temple dojo as a Way.

The bow in Japan has always been primarily a weapon of war, or in some instances for hunting animals. But the Japanese have always been more inclined to farming and fishing than hunting. But when times were peaceful the warriors would practice for sport, and the Japanese were great sportsman; this was not yumi no michi, but just warriors practicing for sport. Yumi no michi only applied to the sacred use of the bow.

In the 1700's Master Morikawa Kozan of Yamato-ryu may have been the first to publish his schools practice with the kanji for kyudo rather than kyujitsu. He wrote of the use of the bow as a Way to self discovery as opposed to just a warrior's weapon. Of course, as mentioned he had good tradition support for the use of the bow in this way.  By doing so he began the process that continues today, of moving the use of the bow as A Way; no longer just for killing or technical sport, but for 'something' else. The something else may depend on who's holding the bow.

Today there are those using the bow as a sport, or a traditional warriors art, or a Way; or all of the above. In these cases few, in any I think, are using the bow to kill; so we call all these ways Kyudo.

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Rick Beal giving a Kyudo intro to Chris Lee at the 2013 Asian Archery Ex...