Kyudo Equipment

The glove used in Japanese archery is quite different from its Western counterpart. It is an elaborately made leather glove with a hardened thumb and wrist support. Basically, there are three types of gloves or yugake in use today: a mitsugake (three-finger glove), yotsugake (four-finger glove), and a morogake (five-finger glove). The mitsugake is generally preferred by bushakei style archers, and the yotsugake is used more by reishakei archers. The morogake is a special-made glove used mainly by Ogasawara Ryu archers. Because of its ease of use and lower cost, a mitsugake is recommended for novice practitioners, regardless of their style.

Caring for the Yugake

 It is important to protect the yugake from moisture and body oils. A cotton underglove, known as a shitagake, should be worn at all times to keep the leather in good condition. After practice, both the shitagake and the yugake should be allowed to dry before putting them away if they have been dampened by perspiration. The cotton shitagake must be washed regularly and discarded when it becomes heavily soiled or stained. The yugake should be stored in a cloth or silk bag for protection. If the yugake becomes soiled, a damp cloth or soft gum eraser can be used to clean it but solvents should never be used since they can damage the leather. Torn seams on a yugake can be repaired by a professional, but if the hardened wrist or thumb areas are damaged the yugake is usually considered beyond repair in most cases.