Before writing this post, I didn't really know anything about kyudo outside of the fact that "yumi" is a Japanese word for "bow" (thanks to Fire Emblem Fates, which features the heavily Japan-inspired nation of Hoshido). After doing some research, though, I learned a lot. First off, there are two major, connected organizations which work to govern and support kyudo: the All-Nippon Kyudo Federation, which (as the same suggests) governs kyudo within Japan, and the International Kyudo Federation, which works globally to spread and maintain kyudo.
As for the art of kyudo itself, it seems to be a bit different from Western archery. For one, the bows used are asymmetrical and the archer pulls the string with his or her thumb supported by the other fingers, wearing a special glove in order to do so. Also, there are eight different stages of movement leading to the release of the arrow, performed as one fluid motion. Besides that, kyudo seems to be more mentally focused on the act of shooting rather than simply trying to hit the target, which I found really interesting.
Overall, it was cool to learn more about kyudo and Japanese culture as a whole. 楽しくておもしろかったです！
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