Kyudo in Japan


Kyudo, also known as kyujutsu, is the budo of Japanese archery. Compared to other popular budos of today, kyudo has evolved very little from its original form. It was developed during the feudal period, and was made popular as a sport in 1949 with the founding of the Japan Kyudo Federation. In a contest, a competitor shoots an arrow at a target 28 to 60 meters away. The bow they use is about 2.21 meters long, and is made from wood and bamboo glued together. The winner of the match is the one who hits the target with the greatest number of arrows. Kyudo puts great emphasis on form, unlike Western archery. There are about 500,000 kyudo archers and about 2,500 kyudo facilities in Japan today.


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