Old News Items

Is bowing to shomen a religious act?

South Korean Olympic archery team wants it BAD!

Vomit-inducing training

SEOUL - If you think archery is all about just shooting arrows, think again. This year, South Korea's world-class archers were ordered to clean up city sewage, stare at dead bodies in a crematorium, climb a mountain with a rubber dinghy on their backs and stay up all night.

The Aug 7-1O training was designed to toughen them up, mentally and physically, for the World Outdoor Archery championships that begin on Sept 15 in Beijing.

But the nation's top four male archers - all Olympic medallists - said the training was too intense and pulled out after one day. The Korea Archery Association banned them from the tournament in China, and from running for the national team for up to five years,

The sudden gap in the ranks of South Korea's archery team highlights the gruelling methods it has used to reach the sport's top level. South Korea has won 11 gold, six silver and four bronze Olympic medals in archery since first competing in Los Angeles in 1984.

Since 1988, South Korean archers have trained by handling snakes, meditating at a Buddhist temple and walking through a haunted house full of actors in ghoulish outfits. "This training has helped them control themselves and work under pressure," said Kim Il Chi, vice-chairman of the private archery association.

Four female archers completed this year's exercise at a navy base in Jinhae, a southern port. Both men and women carted an 80-kg boat up a mountain, and swam in the sea until their body temperatures plummeted.

The country's fourth-ranked male archer Kim Bo Bam said: "This year, we were all a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of the training and we really couldn't afford even a small in-jury just a month before the championships.

"It's a bit late to regret it, but we really did not expect to be replaced.

South Korea's top female archer acknowledged that the training was harsh.

"But I feel good and I think it has helped me prepare for the coming championships," said 18-year-old Park Sung Hyun.

Raoul Theeuws, the Belgian vice-president of archery's world committee, Fita, said South Korea's tough training teaches discipline.

"But the system works effectively on Asian archers because it suits their social context," he said. "It could never work in Western countries."

Other South Korean athletes undergo severe training.

Experts in taekwondo, a martial art that originated in Korea, sit in cold weather with little clothing and pour cold water on their bodies.

When pro golfer Pak Se Ri was a teenager, her father forced her to sleep in a ceme-tery to teach her courage. - AP

-- 24 August 2001

Pictures from the 2001 Shiseikan Shukushakai

The year 2001 Shiseikan Shukushakai (congratulatory shooting) and the Year 2001 Noshakai, and the Bonnenkai dinner took place on Saturday, December 15th. Click here to see the pictures!

Surprises at Shiseikan November practice

At the last Shiseikan dojo practice the dojo threw a surprise birthday party for me and Chihiro san hit our special monthly kinteki for the first time so I thought I would post pictures from it. The November hanamato (special small target with a picture taken from the card poem game) was made by Maria Peterson and no one understands why a frog in a pond with a court noble looking on suggests the month of November to the Japanese. Just one of many things about Japanese culture I don't understand.
The pictures can be found by clicking here

Pictures from the 2001 Shiseikan Halloween Tournament

The annual, excessively silly, Shiseikan Halloween Tournament is over and boy do I have pictures! The shomen this year was silly even by the standards of previous years and included a happy bat. And Kurt and Tamaki brought their newborn baby (in costume no less!)
The pictures of the Shiseikan 2001 Halloween Tournament can be seen by clicking here!.

Pictures from the Meishin Dojo opening

It took much longer than I thought but I've finally made thumbnails and web pages for all the pictures I took at the opening of the Meishin Dojo in Apex, North Carolina, over Labor Day weekend. There are over 100 pictures and they are big (about 250K apiece). Dan DeProspero sensei and the members of the Meishin Dojo did a wonderful job in bringing everything together by the opening day deadline and it was great to see all the workers and members of the Asahi Archery family.
click here to see the thumbnails.

Pictures from Kyudo USA 2001

Just added another set of pictures to the Kyudo USA 2001 set! See the following news item on how to access them.

Pictures from the 2001 European Kyudo Federation annual seminar

Thanks to Shishime san of the ANKF office, and Mitsunari, Suzuki sensei who took his laptop to Paris (!!!!), I have pictures from the EKF seminar that has just ended along with pictures taken at Kyudo USA 2001. I've also just bought a thumbnail generating program so this is my chance to try it out. The following links will take you to the thumbnail sheet then clicking on a thumbnail will bring up the full size picture. Most pictures are about 80K with the largest being 120K.

The EKF 2001 seminar pictures from Paris, France, can be seen by clicking here.

And the Kyudo USA 2001 pictures from San Jose, California, can be seen by clicking here.

As usual, there was equipment left behind at the American seminar. We think we know who the English and Japanese versions of the kyohon belong to but these black shaft aluminum arrows with black fletchings, approx. 40 inches long, apparently made by Eileen Sasaki, are still unidentified. You can click here to see a picture. If anyone hears about missing arrows point them to this picture or email me if you recognize them.

New web page URL for the Nanka Kyudo Federation (Southern California)

Mr. Rick Beal, president of the Nanka Kyudo Federation (Southern California) sent me his new web page URL. He keeps it short and sweet. Practice times are given and that's it. If you want to know where and when to see kyudo in LA then just go to http://www.kyudosocal.com

Pictures from the Shiseikan 2001, July 4th, Tournament

I finally bought a digital camera. I don't have a clue how to use it as you can easily see from this illustrated, totally random walk through the recent Shiseikan July 4th, 2001, tournament but I had to start somewhere. Tournament results were:

Team prize was the "Blue Stars" team.
Individual prizes were:
A Group:
1st place - Takako Johnson.
2nd place - Chihiro Yajima.
3rd place - Oren Haresh.
B Group:
1st place - E.Clay Buchanan.
2nd place - Rik Center.
3rd place - Michiko Asai.

Dear E.Clay, 


I noticed that Norbert Kleinefeld sent you some photos 
from the dojo biraki in Wardenburg.  Some remarks from my side:
The dojo is an indoor dojo built in an old stable. Because in North
Germany the climate is not subtropic (I remember when you missed your 
warm underwear in Hamurg...) it is a mercy to shoot like this. 

They can place 5 to 6 mato in the azuchi and also have a big area beside 
the dojo so that enteki shooting will be possuble too. 

The opening ceremony was performed in the
tradition of the Insai-ha. There was an altar dedicated to the
Hachiman Daibosatsu.  First a several speeches were given, followed
by the first ceremony: MEIGEN (sounding the bowstring). Next was 
the SHIHO BARAI (cleaning of the four corners) < your picture 2> and 
reporting the
dojo's name to the universe.  Then a yawatashi reisha (2 arrows in
standing position and 2 in warai-hiza ( kneeing position)) was shot by
the performing ite (archer) < your picture 3 >. After this every 
kyujin present shot two arrows. Then the sake from the altar was
socializied and a nice party started. The next day all archers present
had a one hour practise and finished that weekend with a little taikai
and mato-asobi.

Best regards to You and Your wife.


Feliks F. Hoff