Okay, I’ll try to explain this with a kind of allegory. Say you have a bird. You know, with the long neck. A looong necked bird. I can’t think of what it’s called, but you know what I mean right? The bird with the long neck. It just ate a fish. But you didn’t want it to eat the fish and don’t want it to swallow it either. So you grab the bird fast by the neck. And you squeeze and pull up to squeeze the fish out. But if you squeeze too hard you’ll break the bird’s neck “crack”. And it’ll die. You don’t want to do that so you squeeze just enough to get the fish out but not so tight you break the bird’s neck. You get what I’m saying? So now, imagine this type of situation when holding the bow. Apply and you can hold the bow correctly for kyudo allowing it to move freely after a shot.
Roughly translated from Japanese, this was said by one of my teachers in kyudo class. At times like these I remember how priceless life experience truly is. Never in my life shall I forget what he said as an example for gripping the bow. I will hereforth imagine a duck hanging by its neck and gagging as I set up my shot.
Writing from Koganei, Tokyo, Japan | June 13, 2009
4 responses so far ↓
O // June 15, 2009 at 8:16 am |
It makes me think this can be applied in life as well….. be gentle in your decisions and action yet firm enough to achieve results without doing damage to others.
Love you,
O
Katherine Austin // June 15, 2009 at 8:31 am |
HILARIOUS!!!!! You told it well – I an see that bird. . .and the fish caught. . .I love these golden moments of inspiration – whether it be my own or others. . .Excellent post. . .and add “Katherine” to the list of those that will remember. . .
Other life skills that you could apply the gagging bird lesson:
1. Stringing a guitar or viola (my only personal experiences)
2. Getting a sticker out of Konrad’s paw (tto fast is traumatic and causes bleeding. . . too slow is excruciating. .. )
3. Trying to get a loose string from clothing pulled tight enough to cut, loose enough not to further unravel, and not too tight or it bunches up the thread in the clothing. . .
That is all that hits me initially. .. but it is that delicate tension between extremes – the quest for the optimum. .. .
Great post! Love ya!
Katherine Austin // June 15, 2009 at 8:44 am |
Ugghhhhhhhhhh typos. . .
Suguro // June 16, 2009 at 9:36 pm |
本当に教え方がうまい先生っていうのは、metaphorも分かりやすいし、それで生徒もどうしたらいいのか、イメージをはっきりつかめるよね。
私の習ってたピアノの先生も、metaphorがすごく上手な先生だった。このブログ読んで思い出した。