Our next practice is scheduled for Sunday, May 31 at 10:00 AM. We will be meeting at 1950 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA

The Byakko (White Tiger) Kyudojo is dedicated to the propagation of Kyudo. Practicing within the tradition of the Heki Ryu Bishu Chikurin-ha school of Kyudo, the dojo upholds a teaching lineage passed down not from books, but from person to person across centuries. It is verbally transmitted from teacher to pupil.

The dojo is part of Zenko International, a non-profit organization devoted to supporting Kyudo practice. The mission is not achievement measured in scores or trophies — it is, as the founder expressed, for each practitioner "to acquire a good heart, and to achieve dignity in one's shooting."

Byakko (White Tiger) Kyudojo was established by Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sendai, in 1981 as one of several kyudojos in the US, Canada, and Europe. The Boston area group practice at 1950 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA

Kyudo is accessible to practitioners of all ages, backgrounds, and physical abilities — its depth lies not in athletic prowess, but in the cultivation of mind and form. Instruction begins with the foundational framework known as the Shichi-do (Seven Coordinations), a precise sequence of body positions and movements that governs every aspect of the shoot, from the drawing of the bow to the release of the arrow.

Early practice takes place at close range, shooting at a makiwara — a bound straw target positioned at approximately one bow's length from the archer. This stage develops correct form without the distraction of distance. As the practitioner's technique matures, training progresses to hitote, long-distance shooting at the standard 28-meter range.

What distinguishes Kyudo from Western or Olympic archery is its fundamental purpose. Rather than measuring success by accuracy alone, Kyudo uses the target as a mirror: the quality of the shot reflects the state of the practitioner's mind at the precise moment of release. Working within the discipline of correct form, a natural process of self-examination unfolds over time. For this reason, Kyudo cannot be learned from texts or independent study — it is transmitted directly from teacher to student, as it has been for centuries, in the tradition known as shu-ha-ri.
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There are four principal schools of Kyudo practiced in Japan today: Ogasawara-ryu, Honda-ryu, Yamato-ryu, and Heki-ryu. Byakko Kyudojo practices within the Heki-ryu tradition, specifically the Bishu Chikurin-ha lineage, under the teaching of Kanjuro Shibata XXI.

Makiwara Practice Location: