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| Hikiwake--Drawing the Bow |
Her legs apart. Torso unmoving. Eyes fixed ahead. She takes another deep gasp in, as she breathes in her target. For her, no one else exists as the crowd stands waiting for the thwack. Straddling, she stands in as if on a horse. This kiba-dachi stance, the horse stance, is the most grounded, the most stable of all positions. One draws the power from the earth as she lets loose. A gush of air as she releases. Thwack. A collected sigh in the crowd expires as the feathered shaft misses its mark.
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| Yugamae--Readying the Bow |
It’s a stunning sight. A four foot ten inch Asian woman and eight foot tall kyodu bow. Dressed in classic akido garb one sees in only traditional Japan ceremonies. Standing tall she still is dwarfed by the lacquered bamboo bow. The bow is almost double her size. She hold the bow with a confidence still years from mastery. It may take several years for her before it becomes effortless. Years to find mushin and yet she may never find it.
The pre-shot approach reminds me of a seasoned billiard player. She finds grounds herself in a solid stance. One leg forward the other back. Torso straight. Bending slightly at the waist. Left arm holding the bow firmly as her body begins to coil. Her head fixed. Unmoving. Locked in at the sight ahead. Arrow nocked, ready to be released. She moves ever so slow, so deliberate. Left arm straight overhead, it does not look as the most efficient of poses. Still, it works. It almost always does.
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| Kai--Completing the Draw |
Her right hand holds the nocked arrow. Two fingers around the shaft intertwined by the bows string. Arrow drawn she waits for the moment to release. She waits for her breath and heart beat to be one. She closes her eye ever so quietly as she begins to listen for that moment. Her torso rises as her left arm quivers.
Thwack.
Just like that, the moment gone. Did not even saw arrow get loosed. Its easy to tell she is not has mastered this skill set task yet. Her movements are still choppy, robotic. Her aim at first has swerved left and then right. Several feet from its intentions. Still it is easy to see her foundation is strong and that there will be a time when comes in to synch. She follows the same, measured pre-shot ritual. Horse stance. Lock gaze on sight. Look away. Deep Breath. Raise bow and arrow in unisons. Long dramatic pause before she lets loose the hungry bow. This series is called the Hassetsu.
Thwack.
Unlike her contemporaries at the Archery Demonstration, she chose the style of Kyudo to show her skill. Others are armed with the latest and greatest of modern day archers. Built with space age composites. Balanced with counterweights. Sights that enlarges the target. I am reminded of something from Star Wars. It is nice to see the asynchronous. It is nice to see the exquisite of tradition of the centuries still lives strong.
With patience, dedication, and single-minded focus, this lady archer may be someone to contend. Until then, we will wait. However, I think that winning is not her goal. Methinks it is something more.
In Kyudo Saho, there is a ceremony to the art of Japanese archery. There is the Housha. Here the archers would shoot offerings to the Gods. In Yabusame, shooting is done from horseback. There is none of that here, though. Seems stuff like that would be more for a circus. Here, can’t help feel there is more spiritual here. Just watching the way she holds herself. The way she finds peace and quietness. She gazes upward asking for something I don’t know. She searches for mushin.
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| Uchiokoshi--Raising the Bow |
It says in some writings, that Kyudo neither adds or detracts from one’s problems at first. It simply reveals the nature of oneself, peeling away all the layers of insignificance. Kyudo is one avenue to remove the stuff of ego to find our true nature. Hope she finds it.
