Chinese archery was one of the six noble arts of the Zhou dynasty (1146–256 BCE). The Six Noble Arts are the OG of Chinese education, which include Rites (禮), Music (樂), Archery (射), Chariotry (御), Calligraphy (書), and Mathematics (數). Not so surprisingly, Confucius was also a master of archery, and the six arts were for the intellectuals. But as many other rituals from ancient China, archery was slowly abandoned because it was not “useful” anymore.

 

(a Chinese god protects his children from the heavenly dog with his bow and arrows)

Unlike Chinese archery, Japanese archery has its ikigai.

 

According to the All Nippon Kyudo Federation (ANKF), the supreme goal of kyudo is the state of shin-zen-bi (真善美), which means, very literally, “truth-kindness-beauty.” My own interpretation is that you should shoot with a sense of ownership, with virtue, and in proper form. When you learn to shoot “correctly”, you will hit your target.

The hardest part is that you don’t know what would cause you to miss the sense of ownership, the virtue, or the proper form.

But sometimes, you don’t need to figure it all out.

Before I found all my problems, I tried these three tips from the instructor:

1. Prepare yourself to the correct form BEFORE you raise your arm to shoot

2. Aim at your target with confidence and calm

3. Letting the arrow go with ease

    

So much to learn from these three tips.

The point is, when you are not feeling the best of yourself, before seeking extra help and pinpointing the exact problems, try to activate your faith in yourself.

You have what you need to hit your target. You have the power to bring yourself back on track, because you have the “truth-kindness-beauty.”

xx

Viya