Kyudo

Japanese martial art of the longbow — an asymmetric yumi shot from a formal seated or standing stance.

👥1 per team🌤both

What is Kyudo?

Kyudo is the traditional Japanese martial art of the longbow, using the asymmetric yumi (a bow more than 2 m tall). It descends from samurai and Zen archery traditions and stresses posture, breathing and form over hitting the target. Competitions score both the technical form of the shot and where the arrow lands.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

both

Country of origin

🇯🇵 Japan

Estimated origin

Feudal Japan; modern kyudo standardised 1930s

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-20.verified