Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part1 (1/2)

So they finally revealed more information about the anime, and honestly even though I got used to the anime designs, I still wonder why Nanao’s design was changed. Anyways, I think and hope it will be a good anime, and I just hope the kyudo girls don’t get cut out!

Also, the archery-or-kyudo internal debate is back! Which one should I use?????

I was thinking of making a glossary for the many kyudo terms used in the book, but I found a good one online . Please use it to look up terms since I won’t write definitions for ones that are used frequently!

Translation Notes

1. Shoumen no kamae is where the bow is kept in front of the body. Shamen no kamae is where the bow is held to the left side. Both methods are accepted in kyudo (Source:  KYUDO : The Essence and Practice of j.a.panese Archery)

2. Daisan is the intermediate stage of the hikiwake where half of the yazuka is drawn.

3. A tasuki is a cord used to tie up the sleeves of a kimono. I think Kashuu from Touken Ranbu wears one as his casual clothing?

4. Makiwara practice is more close-ranged than target practice and the arrows used are different as well, as they don’t have fletching and therefore not suitable for long distances (Source)

5. Dantian breathing, tl;dr, is a type of Daoist breathing exercise that centers around points of energy on the body called dantian. (Search Wikipedia for more info)

6. The original phrase used here was 褒めて育てろ, which literally means praise and raise, where the basic idea is that you help your kid grow better by praising them. A type of parenting method in j.a.pan

7. The actual word used here is mus.h.i.+n, which is the Buddhist term for being free from obstructive thoughts.

8. The Daishadokyou school is a kyudo school that focuses more on the spiritual aspects of kyudo.

9. The tateyoko-juumonji (vertical and horizontal crosses) refers to the vertical axis of the spine and legs and the horizontal axis of the shoulders and arms being perpendicular to each other. Crosses are a very important form in kyudo. ()

Full list of translations

At the Kazemai High School kyudojo, about twenty jersey-clad new recruits gathered.

“Today, I would like all of you to learn the ‘kihontai’ (Fundamental Forms). They can also be called ‘taihai’ (movements), and all of the movements are centered around posture. Don’t all excellent athletes hold steady postures?”

Tomi-sensei instructed Seiya to hand out the extracts from the first volume of the Kyudo Textbook.

“The four ‘Fundamental Postures’ are the standing posture, the sitting posture, the kneeling posture, and the kneeling-on-tiptoes posture, and there are also two types of the kneeling-on-tiptoes posture: the kiza (kneeling with the b.a.l.l.s of the feet on the floor and sitting on one’s heels​) and the sonkyo (crouching). The eight ‘Fundamental Movements’ are the way of standing up, the way of sitting down, the way of walking, the way of stationary turning, the way of moving and turning, the way of kneeling and turning, rei, and yuu.”

There was someone who made an “ugh” face listening to that.

“Don’t worry about it, didn’t you see three archers doing zasha (shooting while sitting) yesterday? That consists of almost all of these kihontai. All you have to do is break them down and memorize them.”

First, it was how to enter and exit from the kyudojo. They lined up at the entrance with the toriyumi (bow-holding) posture.

“When you enter the kyudojo, pay attention to the kamiza. The oomae will do the ‘three breaths of rei’, and the archers following will do the ‘two breaths of yuu’. The movements are carried out with proper breathing.”

Ryouhei asked a question.

“What are the ‘three breaths’?  I know ‘rei’ is a deep bow, and ‘yuu’ is a shallower version of rei, though.”

“The three breaths are bending the body while inhaling, exhaling while the body is bent, and inhaling while straightening up. The two breaths are inhaling while bending the body and exhaling while straightening up. In a nutsh.e.l.l, when you enter the kyudojo, the first person does eight counts of rei, and everyone after does four counts.”

Even though Ryouhei had experience with kyudo as his compulsory martial arts course in middle school, he hadn’t properly learned taihai with shooting technique as a focus. They repeatedly practiced walking while sc.r.a.ping their feet on the floor, trying to not show the backs of their feet as much as possible and without bending their knees.

When they took a break, Seiya and Ryouhei took drinks from their water bottles.

“This tea is so good—. And my knees and thighs hurt too—. Kiza is a lot harder than I thought it’d be.”

“Just doing taihai properly is little bit like doing muscle training.”

“By the way, Minato didn’t come. I wonder if he felt sick the other day.”

“Well, he will be here eventually. It’s still April, so I think he can still join during the middle of it.”

“Seiya, you and Minato were kyudo regulars during middle school, right?”

“Yes, but we lost in the finals of the prefectural tournament.”

“Maybe he’s still carrying that around with him?”

“Losing in the prefectural tournament wasn’t the direct cause. It’s probably my fault…”

“What do you mean? What are you saying?”

“Sorry, I’m not good at explaining with words.”

“Oh, so it’s that kind of thing. You guys always knew each other too well.”

Seiya ended the conversation by bringing his bottle to his mouth. He thought that he had talked too much. He had felt relaxed in front of his companion who he used to spend time with like a brother when he was little. Ryouhei seemed to be an airhead as well as surprisingly sharp. Even if the person himself had unintentionally seen through to the truth of the matter.

He knew that even if he spoke about his past failures, it was useless. He could only do what he can do right now. It was precisely because Minato wanted to change somewhere in his heart that he continued to secretly practice behind Seiya’s back. He was fully aware that it would be a long battle. He told himself that it was useless to rush it.

After the break was over, Tomi-sensei opened up the doc.u.ment again.

“Next, let’s do the shooting techniques. For example, if people were told to ‘imitate pulling a bow’, most will stiffen the left arm holding the bow and pull the string with just the right arm. However, when using the j.a.panese yumi, you put it in the uchiokos.h.i.+ position—that is, raising it up—and then you push it open equally left to right. Finally, the process of shooting the bow is divided into eight steps and named. Those are called the ‘Shahou Ha.s.setsu’. By the way, the left and right hands are called the ‘yunde’ and ‘mete’ respectively, or the ‘os.h.i.+de’ and ‘katte.’”

The Shahou Ha.s.setsu were as followed.

First, as.h.i.+b.u.mi: Spreading the feet wide. Forming the proper posture to shoot a bow.

Second, douzukuri: Placing the bow on the left knee, and the right hand on the right hip. At this time “tsurus.h.i.+rabe” (checking the bowstring up and down) and “nos.h.i.+rabe” (gazing along the arrow shaft to the target) are also performed.

Third, yugamae: The right hand takes the bowstring (torikake), the left hand’s grip is adjusted (tenouchi), and the eyes are on the target (monomi). The two methods of yugamae are “shoumen no kamae” (frontal stance) and “shamen no kamae” (oblique stance). (1)

Fourth, uchiokos.h.i.+: The bow and arrow are raised upwards in the left and right hands. The two methods of uchiokos.h.i.+ are “shoumen uchikos.h.i.+” and “shamen uchiokos.h.i.+”.

Fifth, hikiwake: The raised bow is drawn to the left and right evenly. Taking the “daisan” (2)—short for os.h.i.+ dai moku hike sanbuichi (push big and pull one-third), and then pus.h.i.+ng and pulling until the yazuka length (the draw length or length of the arrow to draw that is most suitable for the archer) is reached.

Sixth, kai: The condition where hikiwake is completed. The peak of the draw.

Seven, hanare: Where shooting occurs. The arrow leaves along with the activation of fighting spirit.

Eight, zans.h.i.+n: The position after the arrow leaves. The conclusion of the shot.

They entered into bare-handed shooting practice. Bare-handed shooting was where one went through the motions of drawing a bow without holding anything in one’s hands, and it might seem silly when watching from close by. Just because one joined a kyudo club, it didn’t mean that one could suddenly grab a bow and shoot an arrow. After practicing “bare-handed shooting,” “rubber bow shooting,” and “subiki” (drawing the bow without an arrow), one could finally shoot an arrow at a “makiwara.” It was still a long way off before one could draw a bow in front of a target.

During practice, the names of Seiya, Nanao, Kaito and Ryouhei as well as the names of three girls were called. The words that came out of Tomi-sensei’s mouth were unexpected.

“Do you all want to try partic.i.p.ating in the qualifiers for the prefectural tournament? Since I’m looking after the beginners, I want you all to switch to yakazu (repeatedly shooting arrows) practice for the compet.i.tion.”

Seo Rika, the leader among the girls, combed her short hair upwards. Usually she gave a dignified impression, but she was obviously confused as to how to respond. Hanazawa Yuuna, who had fluffy bobbed hair, and s.h.i.+ragiku Noa, who had long hair with a hime cut, responded on behalf of Seo.

“The prefecture’s district tournament is in the middle of May, sir. Will we be good enough for it by then?”

“Even though I have experience, I have never been in an official compet.i.tion.”

Nanao interjected.

“Isn’t it great? Let’s do it! If I’m together with a cute girl, I’ll be completely motivated.”

“You should be quiet. Seo’s feelings are important.”

“…Okay.”

It seemed that kyudo girls were a hard nut to crack even for a boy who was naturally popular with girls. Tomi-sensei continued the talk he was giving to Nanao and the others.

“At the beginning, I had been thinking of asking you all to partic.i.p.ate for the time being in order to create a record of activities, but I changed my mind while I watched all of you shooting.  You are good at this. There aren’t enough people for team compet.i.tions, but what do you all think of partic.i.p.ating in individual compet.i.tions?”

The three girls met face to face with each other, and Seo relayed their agreement on their behalf. But, there was someone who objected to it.

——It was Seiya.

“Please let the boys enter the team compet.i.tion. I cannot take part in individual compet.i.tions.”

Hearing that, Kaito objected even further.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know how hard it is for beginners to even just stand in front of the targets? Even if you let Ryouhei in, there’s currently only four people to take part in compet.i.tions, so you’re forcing us into a five-person team compet.i.tion.”

“There is another person who is planning on joining the club. Are there still days until the deadline for club applications? Can’t we wait until then?”

“Hah!? Who are you talking about? No way, you can’t mean that guy who only showed up once?”

“Narumiya Minato. There are some circ.u.mstances, so he’ll be late in joining the club.”

“What circ.u.mstances! I don’t know what the h.e.l.l hayake is, but he ran away from the bow. Can you acknowledge a guy like that as a teammate? For the individual compet.i.tions, if it’s me and Seiya we can aim for the top. In the first place, there’s no meaning in letting a guy at Nanao’s level partic.i.p.ate.”

“I think Minato has more natural ability.”

“What did you say?”

Ryouhei was completely startled by Kaito’s vehemence and tapped Nanao on the shoulder. As if he understood, Nanao winked.

“Kaccha~n, are you underestimating me? Want me to expose that secret?”

“What, what do you mean by secret?”

“Is it okay? I’ll spill it all here.”

“I said, what are you talking about!”

“Leaving that aside, I’m thirsty. Kacchan, please give me your sports drink.”

“I ain’t doing that. Buy your own.”

“Well then, I’ll ask Sakurako-chan. Oh, or maybe Maki-chan.”

“…I’ll give you mine. Don’t bother other people.”

“Thanks, Kacchan!”

“I—told—you, don’t call me Kacchan!”

As Nanao and Kaito unfolded their comedy routine, Seiya was already thinking of something else.

That he had to change the plan and fast.

The sky was dyed in a deep red, and the wind grazing his cheeks was pleasant.

Minato was visiting the Yata no Mori Kyudojo as though he went there every day.

When he pa.s.sed through the entrance, Ma.s.san, who was naked to the waist in his hakama. Seeing his limbs glowing in the evening and hearing his tsurune, Minato unintentionally stopped his feet. Kyudo was a formal discipline where one wore traditional clothing, but to avoid having the left sleeve get caught on the bowstring, men stripped to their waists and exposed their left upper body, and women tucked up their sleeves with a tasuki. (3) Finis.h.i.+ng a series of movements, Ma.s.san lowered his bow (yudaos.h.i.+) and grinned when he noticed Minato.

Time was flowing slowly here. The scent of the gra.s.s and soil riding on the wind, the insects that gathered by the lights, and the creatures that crawled on the ground. The forest and people gently mingled together and respected each other.

After changing into a hakama, Minato headed for the targets. Ma.s.san, who was Minato’s oomae, was at the third target, and the last target was empty as it was reserved for the sensei. This kyudojo was also a six-person kyudojo like the one at Kazemai High School.

While waiting for the timing to enter the target bank from the target viewing area (kantekijo), Ma.s.san s.h.i.+vered at the sound of the released arrow. The bamboo arrows Ma.s.san used were different from Minato’s aluminum ones, but the sound they made as they flew was more amazing than any he had heard before. It was the sound of cutting through the air at high speed.

He never got tired of watching Ma.s.san shoot. Every time he flicked his right hand (mete), a beautiful tsurune flew into the night sky—. That joy in those ideal shots existing right in front of him. How should I express that excitement in words? Should I say that it’s good to be born?

Yes, I’m thrilled.

Ma.s.san seemed to be related to this kyudojo. Indeed, if that was the case then he could accept many things. Such as drawing the bow at night, as well as his remarkable ability. But he also felt uneasy. When they met for the first time, Ma.s.san said that he shot a hundred arrows each day and was aiming for a total of ten-thousand arrows. In other words, a hundred days. Today he was about to pa.s.s ninety days, and when he finished shooting ten-thousand arrows, was he not going to draw a bow at night anymore?

As Minato returned from recording the shots, Ma.s.san spoke.

“Let’s go down in weight for the bow. n.o.bisun bows (bows that are 6cm longer than a standard one) are fifteen kilograms now, I think?”

“This one is fine. In the past, I was taught by my senpai that changing to a heavier bow would increase my hitting rate. I couldn’t afford to buy a new one so I stayed with my old one though.”

Bows can be handled by men and women of all ages without any problems because the person chose a bow that fit their physical strength. There were bows weighing from around six kilograms to twenty-three kilograms, and some of them were even forty kilograms. The average weight for a normal man was sixteen kilograms. For bow lengths as well, there were namisun bows (standard bow size of 221cm), n.o.bisun bows (227cm), yonsun bows (12cm longer than standard), etc, that matched the height and the yazuka of the archer. Ma.s.san used a twenty-two-kilogram yonsun “bamboo bow,” but “gla.s.s bows” made of gla.s.s fiber were commonplace among students.

“Since a strong bow makes arrows fly well, it can gloss over the badness of the shooting form. There are also people who get hayake with the change to a stronger bow, so if you want to increase your draw weight, you should do muscle training while correcting your shooting form, so don’t go up a level is what I’m saying. Right now it’s better to focus on keeping the kai long.”

As he said that, he prepared another bow.

Ma.s.san’s handling of his bow was gentle. When stringing the bow, many people pressed their weight on the bow and firmly pressed down, but Ma.s.san dipped up the bottom part of the bow and gently placed it on his knees. His usual movements and behavior were rough and sloppy, but only when it came to bows was he well-conducted.

The makiwara practice began.

“Minato, you’re bending back. Push your hips forwards more. Like you’re peeing standing up.”

“Peeing standing up…”

“After daisan, you should stretch your upper right arm more. Sort of a ‘look at my armpit hair!’ feeling.”

——Correction. Ma.s.san’s advice was vulgar. It was far from good conduct. He wondered if there wasn’t just another way to say it. However, it was very accurate and easy to grasp the feeling behind it. Because he couldn’t see himself shooting, he was thankful that there was someone here who could see it.

“Get a makiwara arrow (close-range practice arrow​) and try to go in front of a target.”