Kyūdō is one of the multiple offerings of the Hampshire Budō Education Program. Budō, meaning, the practice and study of historic non-competitive Japanese martial arts. With courses for 5-College credit and NON-credit nationally affiliated dojo groups, each offering within the program is comprised primarily of physical martial arts training, alongside small lecture/classroom and movie/media screening components.

NOTE: The Shuuko Kyudojo is a nationally affiliated charter location of our governing organization, Zenko Intl.. Membership supports our standing and reputability with Zenko. Contact Samuel Kanner to schedule a visit or for more information about terms and benefits of membership.  Please continue to read the following description for full activity info.

Kyūdō is the martial art of training with the Japanese bow and arrow.  Since the early 1600’s, many Japanese military practices went through a paradigm shift and channeled their purpose to being a “dō”, meaning “path” or “philosophical journey”.  Gradually steering away from the values of target shooting on a battlefield, archery in Japan adopted a prevalent emphasis on Zen meditation and using the study of the bow and arrow as instruments of personal development and refinement.
Students first learning kyūdō will be trained in the etiquette required for handling the Japanese bow and other necessary equipment.  At its heart, kyūdō training is the practice of polishing form over many repetitions.  There is no emphasis on accurately aiming at a target from long distance, but rather building structure and creating alignment of the body as a martial art over close distances through a type of standing meditation called, ritsuzen.

No purchasing of kyudo equipment will be necessary – we have a full inventory of dojo equipment for class use. Use of personal kyūdō equipment where possible is recommended.

Practice meets in the Robert Crown Center at Hampshire College.  Email Samuel Kanner, <sikOP@hampshire.edu> as location details may change between semesters.  For complete information about the Shuuko Kyūdojo, please visit: <shuuko.org>. Join our Discord community!  Discord link available upon request.