Kyudo Equipment

There are a variety of kyudo targets (mato), ranging in size from the tiny, nine-centimeter mato used for special occasions to the 150-centimeter mato used for enteki (long-distance shooting). The most common target is the thirty-six-centimeter mato used for kinteki (regular close-range shooting). The kyudo target consists of a matowaku, a circular wooden frame, that is covered with a paper target face known as matogami. The standard target faces used today are the kasumi-mato (mist target) and the hoshi-mato (star target). At kinteki range (28 meters) the mato is placed against the azuchi (target bank) at a 5° angle with its center set at twenty-seven-centimeters above ground level.

Preparing the target:
After applying ordinary paper glue to the back of a matogami (target face), stretch the paper over the front of the matowaku. Press the edges of the paper back over the frame, then smooth and trim them. When the glue has dried, the mato is ready to use.

* A plain piece of paper can first be attached to the back of the matogami to add strength.

To access the Asahi America Kyudo Equipment Catalog click on the catalog image

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	This site is maintained by Dan and Jackie DeProspero, co-authors with their teacher, Hideharu Onuma Hanshi, of the books Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery and Illuminated Spirit: Conversations with a Kyudo Master http://www.kyudo.com.html—Revised April 2, 2012 Copyright © 1998 Dan and Jackie DeProspero