A bamboo yumi has living qualities that are
contained in its strung and unstrung shape.
It is made up of bamboo (grass), wood, glue,
leather and rattan; basic natural materials.
Through a yumimaker's skill, these natural
materials are shaped and contained into a
living form. No two bamboo yumi are the
same. Each has a particular nature to be
discovered. In having a yumi you are its
caretaker and attendant. Proper care and use
allows it to become tamed and mature to an
elegant old age.
When the balanced shape of a yumi is
maintained and it is shot properly it will
serve you well, and be a teacher to you for
many years. Also consider the range of
knowledge and feelings that comes to you
throughout its life.
By not attending to the care of a yumi,
through general neglect or careless use, it
will loose its life. A simple example is
that if you leave it unattended in a corner
of a room for extended time, it will warp
and twist out of balance to where it is of
no use, and becomes an impotent antique.
Stringing a Yumi
Your full attention, alertness and caution
are necessary when handling and stringing a
yumi.
1. Before stringing a yumi,
look it over for any irregularities.
2. (Fig. 1) Place the red
loop of the string (tsuru) on the top nock
(urahazu) of the yumi seeing that it is
centered where the knot rests on the yumi
and that it is center or slightly to the
right of center below the knot where the
wood plate meets the rattan. Note that the
loop on the top is coiled to the right side
(and have in mind that the loop on the
bottom nock (motohazu) will be coiled to the
left side.)
3. (Fig. 2) While you
are in a kneeling position with the top tip
of theyumitouching the ground and the last
bottom curve resting on your bent right
knee, your left hand is softly griping the
yumi as if holding it to shoot. The right
hand is holding the tsuru loosely while
griping the yumi halfway between the first
and second inside joints below the leather
grip. The first purpose of the right hand is
to help guide the yumi straightdown.
4. (Fig. 3) With your left
arm locked at the elbow, lean your upper
body weight down slowly and alertly at a
right angle to the floor until you feel
there is enough curve in the yumi to put on
the tsuru: Hold your movement and slide back
your right hand (with the tsuru in it) along
the yumi and slip the bottom loop of the
tsuru on the motohazu. During this movement,
keep your eyes on the urahazu area, and have
a sense of undistracted balance while
holding the curve of the yumi down without
pushing further. Don't push forward of the
yumi while doing this. Don't look back to
the bottom loop of the tsuru. When placing
the bottom loop of the tsuru on the yumi
take care not to push violently or
excessively at the grip, into the curve. Do
not stretch the yumi more than needed to put
the tsuru on.
5. Having slipped
the bottom loop of the tsuru on the
motohazu, make sure that it is securely on.
Feel the area that you have put the loop on.
After the bottom loop is secure, slide your
right hand back to the first position.
6. As you let the yumi up
slowly with your body weight until no
pressure is felt, keep sighting that the top
loop is as centered as possible. Release
your right hand from the yumi once you feel
that the tsuru is staying aligned on the
yumi.
7. (Fig. 4) In a kneeling
or standing position hold the bottom of the
yumi with your right hand straight out in
front of you centered on your body. The tip
of the yumi is on the ground. The grip of
your right hand is soft so that the yumi can
swing freely.
8. As you sight down
the tsuru, check the upper, middle and
bottom areas of the yumi. The top loop is
centered on the urahazu with the string
either centered or slightly to the right of
center. At the center of the yumi, the tsuru
is either centered or offset slightly to the
right of center. At the bottom, the loop and
string are centered. The top and bottom
areas must be checked for alignment EACH
TIME YOUR YUMI IS STRUNG. Adjust the loops
more precisely if necessary. This overall
procedure is CRITICAL CARE, before using the
yumi.
When first beginning to shot, after a few
shots check the centering of the top loop,
and if necessary, make the needed adjustment
at that time, particularly with a new or
unfamiliar yumi.
9. (Fig. 5) CRITICAL CARE:
When your yumi is strung, check that the
distance from the inside of the grip to the
tsuru is 6". When this distance is less
than 6" shorten the tsuru. To shorten
the tsuru, unstring the yumi by doing steps
2 to 6 in reverse. After removing the tsuru,
slightly take in the top loop to shorten
it.(Only shorten the top loop.) String the
yumi again and check for the 6"
distance.
This is the standard measurement that
yumimakers set the balance of the yumi at
after it is made and strung. This
measurement can be slightly more but NOT
less. A new tsuru will stretch when on a
strung yumi just standing. As you shoot the
yumi, particularly with a new tsuru on, this
distance yumi shorten to less than 6"
with the stretching of the tsuru. Find an
easy way to measure this 6" distance,
so that you can quickly and efficiently take
the measurement during practice sessions.
Before you begin shooting, if you feel
something is out of alignment, check through
steps 8 and 9 first, before consulting a
knowledgeable person. Shooting a yumi out of
balance may lead to twisting or breakage
sooner or later.
NEW YUMI
(Fig. 6) The large central recurve of most
new yumi have a HIGH "rise
height"when unstrung. (The rise height
is measured up from ground to the highest
point of the central curve.) Usually, older
tamed and mature yumi have a
lowerriseheight. A new yumi can take weeks
or months for its shape to be tamed
sothatwhen it is unstrung the rise height
measurement is less than 9" (22.5 cm).
A yumi is made to be used.
Regular use, more than anything, helps tame
and mature a yumi. With regular use of a
yumi, the unstrung rise height will lessen
over a period of time. Regular use could be
once a day or once a week. Lowered rise
height that becomes stable is a desirable
and natural sign of the yumi being tamed.
When you own a yumi and it is shot regularly
for a period of months, the rise height
curve will lessen, and stabilize for that
period. Take note of these changes.
Allowing, maintaining, yet containing the
rise height of a yumi is one way of
permitting its life to be full and in
balance. Containing the rise height will be
discussed below.
When the rise height falls
below 5" (12.5 cm), if you can, let the
yumi rest for a period of weeks or months.
This tamed effect is unpredictable as to
when it will occur. Another way of viewing
this condition is that the yumi has become
tired and it needs a rest. In either view,
healthy use of the yumi brings about this
change. Also, know the feeling quality of
shooting a tamed yumi. What life there is in
such a yumi is not to be discounted.
Traditionally, kyudo practitioners had at
least two yumi with which they alternated
their use with the seasons. One reason to
alternate use is that it allowed a yumi to
rest and restore some of its innate power.
When an unstrung Yumi rises higher than
10" (=25,50 cm)
When an unstrung yumi rises higher than
10"(25.5cm) after being left standing a
day or more, string it and leave the tsuru
on the yumi a week and test the yumi rise
height again. Do this whether the yumi is in
use or not. Keep the tsuru on, and keep
testing the yumi week to week, until the
rise height becomes stable in its rise when
the yumi is left unstrung. The intent here
is that the yumi's rise height is contained
by keeping it strung. By becoming
"stable," the unstrung yumi stays
at a rise height below 10".
A yumi will show its life when being shot in
different seasons. Seasonal weather changes
can have physical effects on a yumi. Check
the rise height of a new or tamed yumi,
particularly when weather conditions change
drastically. A few examples are humidity or
heat.
High humidity or high temperature days can
greatly effect the rise height, either in
greater height with humidity on an unstrung
yumi, or flatness of the yumi due to heat,
when the yumi is left strung, and not
attended to. With intense heat the yumi can
flatten. In this case, leave the yumi some
breathing room. Unstring it and observe its
rise height. For the proper balance,
usability and a full life of a yumi, your
attentive care is needed.
Tying aTsuru
When your tsuru breaks you need a new one
appropriate to the length size of your yumi.
Most yumi are of two basic sizes. The color
of the knotted loop on bottom end of your
old broken tsuru tells you the tsuru size.
If you don't know, find out what length yumi
you have, so you will know what length tsuru
to buy.
A new tsuru comes with a preformed knotted
loop. The loop is cloth wrapped in either
purple, light green, white or brown in
color. This loop always goes on the bottom
of the yumi. The unformed, red end of the
tsuru is left for you tomakea loop of the
proper size.
Overall, the three main points to have in
mind about the tsuru on your yumi are: One,
that the tsuru length is correct, so that
the measurement from thegripout to the tsuru
is 6": Two, that the two properly
formed loops fit snugly on the end nocks:
and three, that the two loops and the string
itself are centrally aligned on the strung
yumi. The first two points will be explained
here.
To findwhereto make the loop on your new
tsuru do as follows:
1. (Fig. 7-8) Kneel on the
floor, with the unstrung yumi across your
knees.
2. (Fig. 8) Place the
preformed loop on the TOP nock of the yumi.
(A) With the yumi balanced across your knees
or in front of you firmly stretch the tsuru
down along the curves of the top side of the
yumi until you come to the base of the wood
of the bottom nock area. (B)
3. (see illus. C) Down from
point B, form the curve of a loop and hold
it. Then take up the loop in your hands so
you can form the knot and coil.(Fig. 9)
4. After forming the
loop, balance the yumi on your knees in
front of you, stretch the tsuru down the
yumi as in step 2 and CHECK that the knot of
the loop is at the base where you sighted it
in point B. (Have in mind that the forming
of the loop at this point will not always be
the correct spot, but is the best starting
point. Further adjustment may be necessary.)
5. Finally,
place the red loop that you formed, on the
top(urahazu) of the yumi. It should fit
snugly, but not too tight. Center the loop
on the urahazu and begin to center the tsuru
down the yumi.
6. Take up the correct
kneeling position and stringing the yumi as
described on previous pages.
Critical: the two loops of the tsuru need to
fit snugly on the nocks of the yumi when
it's strung. the loops and the tsuru are
centered on the yumi, and the measurement
from the grip across to the tsuru is at
6". if less or more than 6", the
yumi usually needs to be unstrung, the loop
reformed, and the yumi restrung and checked
again until correct, before going further.
Tsuru notes:
In the coarse of shooting your yumi with a
new tsuru, it will stretch moreeasilyat the
beginning, particularly with a strong yumi.
You'll need tocheck thegrip/tsuru distance
regularly, even when theyumiis strung but
not shot.
Notice the coiled twist of the body of the
tsuru. Watch that thetsuru's coiledtwist
stays twisted in the coarse of putting it
on. When necessary, coil itin aclockwise
direction just before putting on the bottom
loop. Notice what effect this may have on
the feeling of the shot.
A hemp tsuru needs special attention. Ask
your teacher or instructor what is necessary
to maintain it.
Over the coarse of shooting, notice the
different quality feelings that come with
using tsuru of different materials.( eg.,
Kevlar vs. hemp tsuru)
Allow a tsuru to run its life coarse and
break on the yumi. Usually it will break
while you are shooting. This can be an
experience of shocking value, and awareness.
Physically, the breaking of the tsuru when
the yumi is being shot allows the yumi to
stretch out its bamboo and wood fibers
fully. The yumi likes this stretching
exercise. It helps restore life in it. It's
sometimes said, that when a tsuru breaks
while shooting, you should let the yumi rest
for a day or so without use. This is an
individual choice with each student. Other
students will have a second tsuru ready
formed: put it on, and use the yumi
immediately. |
