Ishikawa Prefectural Budokan Kyudo field (Japanese archery field)

Kanazawa is rich in samurai culture and has a particularly close relationship with Kyudo (Japanese archery) among the martial arts. The "Sanjusangen-do no Toshi-Ya”, an annual event in Kyoto where newly-arrived adults and those with excellent archery skills gather from all over Japan, is said to have originated in the Edo period when samurai warriors were allowed to compete in archery. Many warriors of the Kaga clan also participated in the event, competing for the honor of their clan. Yoshida Okura Shigeuji became the NO.1 in Japan six times in the early Edo period, making the Kaga clan's Kyudo(Japanese archery) widely known throughout the country. In the area where the former Ishikawa Prefectural Office building, "Shiinoki-Geihinkan" stands, there was a Kyudo-jo(archery range) modeled after Sanjusangen-do during the Edo period, and the name "Do-gata no shiinoki" is a reminder of this.

Usually, it takes several months of training for a beginner to actually draw a bow. However, in the 90-minute Kyudo Experience Class program at the Ishikawa Prefectural Budokan, participants can safely experience the "Shaho hassetsu" under the guidance of members of the Ishikawa Kyudo Federation, from the basic posture to the preparation of the arrow and the actual shooting at the target.
The distance from the "shooting point" (called "Shai") to the target is 28 meters The target is 36 centimeters in diameter and can be changed to a larger target of 100 centimeters in diameter if desired.

With careful and attentive instruction, even beginners can hit the target　"Tekichu”, but we must know that Kyudo is a way of human development. In Kyudo, facing an immobile target rather than a person, it is up to you whether you can draw a bow well or not. It is interesting to note that the spirit of Kyudo and Zen are very similar, as Daisetsu Suzuki, a world-renowned Buddhist scholar, called the basic posture of the entire body "Dozukuri," one of the Shaho-Hassetsu of the archery method, "Ritsu-zen. Kyudo suits and equipment will be lent for this program, and Kyudo can also be enjoyed at the Kenrokuen-Kyudojo.