Kyujutsu – Japanese Archery-Based Martial Arts

Kyujutsu is a Japanese martial arts focused on archery that uses the Yumi (Japanese bow). Unlike Kyudo (the Japanese sport form of archery), Kyujutsu is more focused on the traditional Samurai use of the bow in actual warfare.

Kyujutsu techniques are taught in many Japanese Ryu (i.e. Bujutsu and Ninjutsu) whereas Kyudo is usually practiced as a martial arts of its own. The general purpose of both Kyudo and Kyujutsu is to become proficient in archery but there is a much stronger Zen influence involved with Kyudo. Kyujutsu techniques are focused on hitting different target areas of an actual opponent (traditionally weak points in Samurai armour), whereas Kyudo is primarily concerned with hitting a single “traditional” target. Nevertheless, traditional targets are also used in Kyujutsu training.