The Shaho Kun (Teaching On The Law Of Shooting) is the legacy of Yoshimi Junsei (originally named Daiuemon Tsunetake) a famous archer of Kishu who lived during the Tokugawa Period (1603-1868). He was the founder of the Kishu line of the Chikurin-ha of the Heki Ryu and received transmission directly from Ishido Tamesada, the second headmaster of the Chikurin-ha, in 1640.* He was the teacher of the famous archer Wasa Daihachiro of Kishu, who set the all-time record at the Kyoto toshiya competition in 1686, succeeding on 8,133 shots out of a total of 13,053.The preface to the Shaho Kun outlines the myriad difficulties faced by the kyudo practitioner and then offers the solution to those problems: self-reliance and the constant practice of proper shooting technique with a pure mind and harmonious spirit. The Shaho Kun proper explains the fundamentals of the Shaho. Daiuemon Tsunetake became a Buddhist monk in his later years and moved his residence to Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, taking the name of Yoshimi Junsei.
* Kinsei Nihon Kyujutsu No Hatten (The Development Of Japanese Archery In The Feudal Period), Ishioka Hisao Hanshi, Tamagawa Daigaku University Press, p. 326
In any case, the discipline of kyudo means this: with a body and mind that are agitated and without composure, you use the bow and arrow, that are alive and can be pushed and pulled at will, to pierce the unmoving target.
From the outside, shooting seems exceedingly simple, but shooting embraces the three spheres of kokoro (mind), actions, and thoughts; and these spheres, being linked together one to the other, bring a thousand upon ten thousand changes to the inner workings of the art, making it difficult to strike the center of the mark.
That which is captured in the morning is lost in the evening; if you search in the target, it is unmoving and without delusions; if you search in the bow and arrow they are guileless, being of No-Mind.
Searching only in yourself, you must cleanse your mind and correct your body, and, with singleness of purpose, nurture the proper spirit, train yourself in proper technique, and throw yourself into your training with all of the sincerity you can muster. This is the only way.**
The way is not with the bow, but with the bone, which is of the greatest importance in shooting.
Placing Spirit (Kokoro) in the center of the whole body, with two thirds of the Yunde (left arm) push the string, and with one third of the Mete (right arm) pull the bow. Spirit settled, this becomes harmonious unity.
From the center line of the chest, divide the left and right equally into the release.
It is written that the collision of iron and stone will release sudden sparks; and thus there is the golden body, shining white, and the half moon positioned in the west.***
** Gendai Kyudo Rinen Kaisetsu (Explanation of the Philosophy Of Modern Kyudo), lecture delivered by Nakajima Sakae Hanshi, in San Jose, CA, 1993 (translation by the author)
***Kyudo Manual, Vol. I, All Nippon Kyudo Federation, p. xi
The Raiki Shagi (Record Of Etiquette-Truth Of Shooting) explains the rules for the conduct of the shooting ceremony and the proper attitude archers should have towards their practice. It is from the Raiki (Record Of Etiquette) complied in China in the 2nd century. The Japanese adopted this teaching in the development of kyudo and it became one of the bases for the emphasis on proper attitude and conduct in the practice of kyudo.The shooting, with the round of moving forward or backward can never be without courtesy and propriety (Rei). After having acquired the right inner intention and correctness in the outer appearance, the bow and arrow can be handled resolutely.
To shoot in this way is to perform the shooting with success, and through this shooting virtue will be evident.
Kyudo is the way of perfect virtue. In the shooting, one must search for rightness in oneself. With the rightness of self, shooting can be realized.
At the time when shooting fails, there should be no resentment towards those who win. On the contrary, this is an occasion to search for oneself.*
* Kyudo Manual, Vol. I, p. ix
The correct expression of the shooting form of kyudo is what gives shape to kyudo and keeps it from being nothing more than a disembodied idea. At the same time, part of learning how to do anything that has a concrete expression in physical form is to practice it with the right intention and spirit. The forms thereby take on meaning and become the expression of the underlying ideas that animate them. Therefore, you should base your practice on an understanding that will help you focus your energies on doing kyudo correctly. You can then visualize and internalize the spirit of kyudo and express it through action.The following list of eight principles is not intended to be a definitive list of everything that is important in kyudo. Such a list is impossible to make. I believe, however, that if you keep the following points in mind you will be able to practice with the right mind and spirit.
Next Chapters:
- The ultimate truth of kyudo is understood through the union of mind, body, and bow, or "Sanmi Ittai" (the three essentials as one body).
- Seisha Hitchu (a true shot never misses) is truth. If the shooting is in accordance with the Shaho (the Law Of Shooting), the arrow will pierce the target without fail.
- The Shaho is an immutable natural law and not an arbitrary human invention. Therefore, shooting must be in accord with natural principles.
- Incessant practice, done correctly with a pure mind and spirit, is the only way to understand kyudo. Nothing can take the place of this.
- Kyudo must be a balance between "Sha" (shooting) and "Rei" (courtesy, mutual respect and propriety).
- Growth in kyudo has a natural progression. Instruction and practice must be in accord with this natural progression.
- Kyudo tradition is the living legacy of past masters and the guide for future development. Therefore, practice must always follow tradition and the structure it imposes.
- It is impossible to ever be perfect in kyudo; however, we must never stop training. It is the devotion to constant training that gives meaning to kyudo as a Way of life.