Four hours of Kyudo practice today after a 6-hour Taiko practice yesterday translates to shaky arms and unsteady hands. I've been in anticipation of my first Kyudo class in Japan at the Hachimangu Shrine, and finally it came. It started with what seemed to me a rather complex piece of clothing to put on, the hakama. I am certain that I won't be able to put it on again for the next class without asking for help from the instructors.
The lesson started by learning how to pay respect to Hachiman, the patron god of this shrine. Two bows, followed by two claps of the hands, and then a final bow. We learnt how we're expected to walk while in the dojo, landing not with the heel but the ball of foot. Making turns involves a very precise positioning of the back foot against the front foot and turning it by 90 degrees. Other important movements included how to make a 180-degree turn while standing and 90-degree turns when in kiza.
The rest of the lesson was spent in learning how to put on the glove on the right hand and practicing on rubber bows, which are used in lieu of the real bow while learning the various movements. I thought that the web space between my left thumb and index fingers wouldn't hold up to the practice, having developed a huge blister from Taiko practice the day before. Unbelievably, after two hours of pulling on these high-resistance rubber bows, something shifted and not only was the pain much more bearable, I became unconscious of it and felt much more present in the movements.
The lesson started by learning how to pay respect to Hachiman, the patron god of this shrine. Two bows, followed by two claps of the hands, and then a final bow. We learnt how we're expected to walk while in the dojo, landing not with the heel but the ball of foot. Making turns involves a very precise positioning of the back foot against the front foot and turning it by 90 degrees. Other important movements included how to make a 180-degree turn while standing and 90-degree turns when in kiza.
The rest of the lesson was spent in learning how to put on the glove on the right hand and practicing on rubber bows, which are used in lieu of the real bow while learning the various movements. I thought that the web space between my left thumb and index fingers wouldn't hold up to the practice, having developed a huge blister from Taiko practice the day before. Unbelievably, after two hours of pulling on these high-resistance rubber bows, something shifted and not only was the pain much more bearable, I became unconscious of it and felt much more present in the movements.
