I've been practicing Kyudo for over a year now. Started in early April of last year officially. This November I'm hoping to attempt for sho-dan. And, I wanted to take some time to reflect on a few things:
- Why I started and why I continued.
- General lessons learned.
- Current progress and goals.
As to why I started, I can't say that there is a single, clear answer. I was thinking about joining "something" and I had been somewhat intent on it being some Japanese Martial Art. Aikido was the only thing I had taken which I had remembered enjoying when I was young. I discovered Kyudo through the anime Tsurune, but I had already attempted contacting and joining the dojo in the past and that show was no longer front and centre.
Then, I saw that they were sponsoring a local event which made me curious. I checked their Facebook page and they were having intro sessions later in the year. I signed up. Attended. Joined the beginners program. Completed it. Applied to join the regular club practices and was accepted.
However, none of those are the reason. Those are just events.
At the time, I think my motivator was twofold; improve who I was and to join a community. And I got that. And so much more. And more of those 2 things than I could have expected.
While Kyudo can be practiced alone to some extent, unless your sole objective is to pursue it as a sport, there is also a "team" component. And I put team in quotes because at Kyudo events you often cannot control who your "tachi" (立) is. They are often selected by rank and age across all participants. We even do this at the dojo frequently, so the order and composition can vary based on who attends that particular day.
This is a big part of my continuation. I wanted to find a community because I wanted to work on my social skills. And, that was a somewhat self-centered view. That view also doesn't really work (at least, not for an introvert like me) in a tachi. What I've learned is that the approach and objective I had were, perhaps, wrong. The social aspect of Kyudo is largely about "rei" (礼) or etiquette. While personal interactions are a part of that, there are also basic things we can do which apply to everyone to improve the harmony of a situation.
During a "taihai" (体配) it can mean simple things like adopting a reasonable and consistent pace so that those who follow can keep in sync, or listening for subtle cues. It also means show respect and thanks for those you work with and learn under. When attending seminars outside our own dojo for instance, there is a huge emphasis on helping out, taking time to thank the instructors and other actions which aren't strictly Kyudo related. Those little actions however, keep the broader community together and help keep the discipline alive.
Increasingly, the community and social aspects are becoming my reason to continue. Self-improvement is simply a byproduct of those efforts.
Incidentally, you can probably read between the lines for a lot of the lessons learned. Kyudo is one of the most humbling activities you can undertake. And that is actually quite meaningful for me. I rarely find a skill or subject which remains challenging for more than a few weeks to months. I'm over a year into this journey and I know that there is room for improvement in every movement, posture and every part of the hassetsu. I also know that there is a lot I don't even know that I don't know.
Beyond that, I've learned the joy of sharing a passion with a group of people. I think that the funniest thing about this is being able to find and join a larger group of Kyudoka than I've been able with my other passions, such as programming. There are more software developers in my current city than Kyudoka in North America. And, I truly do believe that the broader concepts taught are a part of that.
As for my progress and goals. I want to attempt for sho-dan this winter via Video Shinsa. My objective is not to pass, just to do my best and see what that looks like. Passing would be positive a side-effect of the effort.
More specifically, my "tenouchi" (手の内) or grip on the bow and my "mete" (馬手) or glove hand usage are my biggest focuses at the moment. I also need to drill the full taihai steps into memory and work on timing. I know all of the steps, but sometimes I goof up. And not goofing up would be real nice. I should also brush up on "shitsu" (失礼) procedures. While one does not want to make any mistakes, and mistakes will likely cost me the rank, it is still respectful to follow the correct procedures when you do make such mistakes.
Comments
Post a Comment