For the sincere practitioner there is no seperation between Kyudo training and everyday life. Each arrow is shot as a single ultimate moment. Without an opponent, it is a path of self discovery where the target is a mirror – a reflection of the self. To the outsider, drawing the bow and hitting the target is a test of one's skill. For the Kyudo practitioner however, there is a clear distinction between hitting the target and shooting 'correctly' and one cannot progress until he or she learns to resolve the conflict arising from this.
Irie sensei, Head instructor at Tohoku University tells us "Shooting a bow is so simple that even a child could do it". Yet Kyudoka insist that true mastery will take longer than one's own lifetime!