Kyudo 弓道 (Way of the Bow)

“Kyudo” [弓道/きゅうどう]  is one of the Japanese martial art which is a kind of archery.

HISTORY
Bows and arrows had been used as weapons since ancient times and this is the origin of “Kyudo”.
After firearms were appeared in 16th century, bows and arrows were replaced. Since then, “Kyudo” became an indispensable discipline for samurai warriors.
Today, “Kyudo” became Japanse traditional martial art and people practice “Kyudo” primary to train their mind and spirit.

DESCRIPTION
The clothes to play “Kyudo” is this as follows:
The top is a kimono with snug-fitting white sleeves. The hakama (a pleated and divided skirt made in fine stripes) is in black or navy, and men wear machi (horse-riding) hakama while women wear either machi hakama or andon hakama without the koishita (back plate). And they wear white tabi.

There are 2types of competition, “short-distance(28 meter) target” and “long-distance(60 meter) target”.
The player send an arrow 8 times and compete based on the number of bull’s-eyes(the distance with the center does not matter).
The judges score based not only on hits but also on shooting form, elegance in shooting and behavior.