Saying Farewell to Shibata Sensei at the Capital Region Archery Club

Many of you who stop by to read my blog may not be aware that I am a target archer first and foremost.  Kyudo practice as taught by Shibata Sensei is what I use to keep myself grounded and settled.  It, along with seated meditation, form the basis of my spiritual life.  I belong to a small group of people who also engage in archery as a sport and use Kyudo for the same reasons as I do.  We do not have a "shooting place" specific to Kyudo so we use the indoor archery range operated by local archery club for our practice.

Last night we gathered together as is our custom for our monthly practice and it is always a special occasion for me as I get to be with my local Kyudo family for both practice and fellowship.  Last night was more of a sombre occasion because, as I had announced in my blog post last week, our Sensei had passed away.  Since we have no one in our group who could lead us in the Buddhist memorial ceremony as is the custom, we chose to mark Sensei's passing in the only way we knew how.

About 30 years ago, National Geographic produced a series on the martial arts and one of the documentaries in that series was about Kyudo and featured Sensei when he was much younger and still healthy and vibrant.  It is a video that has been played at every single Beginner's Intensive that has ever taken place here in Edmonton.  It really hits home the thought that Kyudo is a form of moving meditation, that with regular and long practice, it will remove all of our rough edges and bring out true human dignity.  The video showed Sensei working with new students one-on-one.  It was almost like he was there with us.

I often find myself in more of a stoic mood during practice but last night was different.  During a couple of shots I was able to achieve a 3/4 rotation of the yumi in my bow hand upon release of the arrow and those two instances, it was like the world had slowed down to a crawl.  It was though I was watching in slow motion as the yumi rotated in my hand and the arrow flexed and rotated toward the target.  I was an instant emotional mess and had to fight hard to choke back the tears.

I'm not certain where this flood of emotion had come from.  Was it Sensei's passing?  Was it joy from nearly achieving perfection of "tiger's mouth"? Was it the stress I was dealing with in both my personal and professional lives?  Was it all these things hitting me at once?  I suspect that it was the latter.

Last night we also added a couple of new members to our Kyudo family.  First, a gentleman named Charles who moved to Edmonton from Nova Scotia and practiced there with Kozan Iba.  Welcome, Charles.  The second, a tiny little field mouse who has decided to take up residence in the range.  We will set up a live trap to catch and release him back outside but for now, we have named him Kanjuro - after Sensei.

When we had finished our practice, put the yumi and ya away, and tidied up we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways knowing that we will see each other again soon.  Its hard to say farewell to Sensei having not really met him in person.  I'm sure though that we will have that chance in the next life.

So good journey, Sensei and thank you for all that you have taught.

Kanjuro Shibata Sensei XX Passes Away at 92

On-yumishi Kanjuro Shibata XX

1921 - 2013

One is not polishing one's shooting style or technique, but the mind. The dignity of shooting is the important point. This is how Kyudo differs from the common approach to archery. In Kyudo there is no hope. Hope is not the point. The point is that through long and genuine practice your natural dignity as a human being comes out. This natural dignity is already in you, but it is covered up by a lot of obstacles. When they are cleared away, your natural dignity is allowed to shine forth.

— Kanjuro Shibata

I was saddened to learn this morning that our Sensei Kanjuro Shibata XX had quietly passed away in his home with his wife at his side.  His widow's message to Sensei's students was just as poignant and dignified as the man himself.  I never had the pleasure to meet Sensei and receive instruction from him directly but I have read his writings and through the magic of the internet and YouTube, I was able to know Sensei as a man who lived his life as an example to all of his students.  

While part of me is saddened with Sensei's passing and the thought of never getting to learn from him directly, another part of me cannot help but feel a sense of gladness because Sensei did get to live the life he chose and that he had a long life surrounded by people who wanted to make the world a better place by "polishing their hearts" and become better, dignified people.  I also feel a sense of relief knowing that Sensei no longer has to suffer from the constant struggle to breathe.

Rest in Peace, Sensei.  You will always be in our hearts and your spirit will be with us as we engage in practice together across the globe, continuing along the path to enlightenment and true warriorship.