SEPT. KYUDO INTENSIVE IN VT. LIVES UP TO ITS NAME.

Introduction. My fellow Budo-ka, Mr. Brian Moore, and I returned to Karme- Choling for our fourth successive Intensive, and the second one of this year; we again had the company of fellow Aikido-ka, Ms. Jean Sadlowski of Milford, NH, who returned for her second Intensive. Articles from last year's two Intensives [see my articles "First Shot: Kyudo Intensive in Vermont" in the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts #84, Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 6-10, September, 1997, and "Second Shot: the Second Kyudo Intensive in Vermont" in the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts #86, Vol. 9, No. 11, pp. 6-8, November, 1997] outline the Kihon (basics) of Kyudo practice. As previously mentioned, for the two of us, the last Intensive in June marked our intention to committed practice because we ordered our first sets of equipment [see "Annual [June 1998] Kyudo Intensive in Vermont with Shibata-sensei" which has been submitted to the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts]. Our equipment was delivered to Karme-Choling for this Intensive. With new equipment, and a very low student-instructor ratio, this Intensive certainly lived up to its name for us.

Instructors. A senior student of Mr. Kanjuro Shibata XX (20th headmaster of Heki-Ryu Bisshu Chikurin-ha Kyudo, and Onyumishi, Imperial Bowmaker to the court of the Emperor of Japan), Mr. Sam West of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia, lead the group for the weekend at Sensei's request. There were four other instructors there as well, including Ms. Emily Bower-Lahaye (Montreal, Quebec), Messers. Oscar Garcia (St. Johnsbury, VT), Jack Stewart (Danville, VT), and Marion Taylor (Amherst, MA). Unfortunately, Mr. Dennis Martin (Winterport, ME) was unable to attend this Intensive. Since this Intensive ran from Friday evening, 11 September, through Monday afternoon, 14 September, not all of the instructors were able to stay through Monday; Ms. Bower-Lahaye and Mr. Garcia stayed through the Sunday sessions.

Location. Karme-Choling [the e takes a circumflex (^) accent, and the o takes an umlaut (")] is a Tibetan Buddhist and Shambhala meditation center located in the upper Connecticut River Valley, about eight miles south of St. Johnsbury. It was the late founder of K-C, Vidyadhara Chogyam [the o takes an umlaut (")] Trungpa, Rinpoche (1939-1987), who invited Shibata-s. to visit the US for the first time in 1980, in order to teach Kyudo as an active, physical form of meditation, hence the connection between Shambala Centers and this Kyudo Ryuha (style); this was part of wider effort by Trungpa, Rinpoche, as highlighted below.

Karme-Choling is surrounded by 450 acres of meadows and woodlands in a valley flanked by two wooded peaks. The main complex includes six shrine rooms, the main shrine room -- a large meditation hall that seats 200, and accommodations for 45 people. For Kyudo-ka (practitioners of the Way of the Japanese long bow), the central facility is the Azuchi (outdoor target range for Kyudo) of Seiko ("Sacred Tiger") Kyudojo. Talks by the senior instructors were given this time in the main shrine room; accommodations were at the guest house, Ashoka Bhavan, a five-minute ride from the main complex into town.

Meals, primarily vegetarian fare (but not exclusively), were with the K-C community (residents and participants in other programs) in the dining hall of the main complex. There were two other programs that ran through the weekend, "Sacred Path" and Kado ("the way of flowers," better known as Ikebana or Japanese flower arranging). [I am told that the late Trungpa, Rinpoche, also introduced his followers to other Japanese Michi (or -do when used as a "suffix") or "Ways" including Chado, the Japanese "Tea Ceremony," and Shodo, Japanese Calligraphy, in order to also foster meditation-in-motion in addition to seated meditation (Zazen in Japanese). He is famous for his own calligraphy in Tibetan: for example, see his "The Art of Calligraphy: Joining Heaven and Earth," published by Shambhala in 1994. For a more general perspective, see his "Dharma Art," published by Shambhala in 1996.]

Practioners. There were ten practitioners who attended this intensive, including three who took "First Shot." There were four from New Hampshire, one each from Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and two from Vermont (K-C residents, in fact). With only ten students and five instructors, that meant that everyone got a lot of personal attention; that's a student-instructor ratio of 2!

The Seminar. This Intensive ran from Friday evening, 11 September, through Monday afternoon, 14 September; timewise, it was a half a day longer than the same intensive last year. Although some of the instructors and students could not stay for that extra half a day, I felt that it was extremely important for our practice, since we do not have access to regular, local instruction.

First Evening - 11 September. After dinner and registration on Friday evening, this Intensive began, as all the others that we have attended have, with an opening talk. Mr. Sam West, the Chief Instructor for this Intensive, gave the opening talk in the main shrine room. First, as somewhat of a tradition, we viewed the 11-minute video clip "Master Archer" with Shibata-s. teaching Kyudo at K-C in the Fall of 1986 that was filmed by National Geographic [K-C had fewer buildings, everyone looks younger, of course, and there was no Azuchi yet; the Azuchi was dedicated in August, 1992]; Mr. West, who appears in the clip, mentioned that the NG crew not only filmed Kyudo, but had also participated in the Intensive. This was followed by a demonstration of Shichi-do (the Seven Coordinations, the Kihon Waza of Kyudo) by Mr. Jack Stewart shooting at the Makiwara (practice target, actually a sheet-covered bale of straw or hay, at a distance of one Yumi, that is, one bow length -- about seven and a half feet from the target to the centerline of the body). Mr. West provided an explanation on the second shot. Then he introduced the other instructors.

In his talk, Mr. West focused on a quote from "Master Archer" by Shibata-s. which exhorts Kyudo-ka to live with "Discipline to oneself, and kindness to others." In other words, we should live with the "dignity of self and [of] relationships with others." Kyudo is a form of "meditation in action," and, as such, it allows us to practice the refinement of relationships with ourselves and others. Sensei is fond of referring to his students as "Kyudo family," that is, the internal and inter-personal relationships begin here and now within ourselves and those around us. Mr. West reminded us to take advantage of the low student-instructor ratio during this Intensive, and draw on the experiences of our "elder siblings."

In a series of questions and comments following the talk, Mr. West made the following points. All Kyudo equipment [Yumi (bow), Ya (arrows) and Kake (right-handed drawing/shooting glove)] is considered sacred; one does a deep left-knee "genuflection" when placing the Yumi in the stand and retrieving it from the stand, and one puts the Kake on and takes it off while sitting in Seiza. The Yumi is a weapon, a very powerful one with a lot of energy, but it also has the "energy" to wake up the mind. Whenever trying to describe Zazen (seated meditation) or Kyudo (aka meditation in action), mere words fail to describe the process and experience; they simply must be experienced. Finally, muscular tension is the beginner's rite of passage; in learning any new activity with a physical component, untrained muscles are used excessively, hence fatigue from overuse.

Day 2 - 12 September. It was an overcast day on the first full day of training. After bowing in, Mr. Jack Stewart demonstrated Hitote, the first formal two Ya form, on the platform ("distance shooting" at a target 28 m. away), and Ms. Bower-Lahaye demonstrated Shichi-do on the Makiwara with a description given by Mr. West. Messers. West and Garcia, and Ms. Bower- Lahaye worked with the four students (one was actually retraining after a lapse of several years) taking First-Shot training. Messers. Stewart and Taylor took the six intermediates, and gave various corrections and adjustments for Shichi-do on the Makiwara. In the afternoon, the intermediate students did 28 m. distance shooting from the platform.

Both Brian and I spent the morning breaking in our new Yumi. We took a dozen shots at half-draw, followed by a dozen shots at three-quarters draw, before attempting shots at full draw. As these Yumi were more powerful than any we had practiced on before, forming Tora Guchi ("tiger's mouth") with the left hand holding the Yumi was all the more difficult, and, at times, even painful.

At one point during the morning, our instructors explained the basics of Ashi-sabaki (footwork) in Kyudo: while walking, use a sliding toe-heel step, and, while turning, use a T-step beginning with the outside foot. Furthermore, Sensei looks for two thing in practitioners: first, when the "head" (top) of the Yumi is down, one must maintain a constant one "fist" height above the ground or platform while standing, walking, kneeling and transitioning to standing and kneeling; second, practice requires "heart" [Mr. West's initial evening lecture was a synopsis of practicing "heart"].

In the afternoon, we had a short interval of light rain before Tea; after Tea, the sky began to clear, and, after dinner, the stars came out. After dinner, we sat around a campfire for some Sake, and Kyudo discussion and stories. This was the first time attending these Intensives that we have had such an informal get together, and it was really quite refreshing.

Day 3 - 13 September. In contrast to the first full day of training, this second full day was sunny and clear with just a few hints of clouds throughout the day. After bowing in, Messers. Garcia and Taylor demonstrated Hitote on the platform, and Ms. Bower-Lahaye again demonstrated Shichi-do on the Makiwara with a description by Mr. Garcia. All the instructors but Mr. Stewart worked with the beginners in the morning, reviewing Shichi-do and then they took First-Shot on the Makiwara. Mr. Stewart took four of the intermediate students, including Brian and I, and instructed us in Hitote; this was quite an honor for us, since our only training and practice up until this point has been at these Intensives.

In the afternoon after lunch, the beginners continued to practice Shichi-do on the Makiwara, whereas the four of us who had learned Hitote in the morning also practiced on the Makiwara. Hitote on the Makiwara, like Shichi-do, requires retrieving the Ya; unlike Shichi-do which uses a single Ya, Hitote uses two Ya. In fact, there are two kinds of Ya: the Hiya which spins counterclockwise (viewed from the back end), and the Otoya which spins clockwise - they are fired in this order and removed in this order. Each one is twisted three times, according to the spin direction, in place before removal from the Makiwara. The Hiya is placed in the left hand with the Yumi while the Otoya is removed, then they are both grasped in the right hand. Although we used Kazuya (fully fletched arrows for distance), there are special Ya with reduced fletching (like two sine waves with the forward amplitude greater than the trailing one) for Makiwara shooting; for Shichi-do on the Makiwara, a simple Boya (fletchless arrow) is used.

In the middle of the afternoon, Mr. Taylor gave us a lesson in Yumi care, including Tsuru (bow string) tying and stringing the Yumi. After Tea, everyone shot from the platform, the beginners doing Shichi-do with two Kazuya, and the intermediates doing Hitote. Near the end of the day, Mr. West had the intermediates perform Hitote in group synchronization (this was quite an intense experience for all the participants).

In the evening, after dinner in the main shrine room, ten of us got together for a talk and discussion by Mr. Marion Taylor on "the Martial Arts and Zen." Aside from an accomplished Kyudo-ka, Mr. Taylor also teaches Shotokan Karate and Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido. Because of the mixed nature of our group, we talked about the "-do" forms, the "Martial Ways," and how they came from the "-jutsu," the "Martial Arts and Sciences." [We all know that this is really a polite fiction, but it is useful when dealing with real beginners.] What the various practices do have in common, especially the Japanese styles, is that the "Martial Ways" begin and end with respect. Mr. Taylor also went over the Reiho (etiquette) of our Ryuha [Mr. Stewart gave a talk on this during the June Intensive; see "Annual Kyudo Intensive in Vermont with Shibata-sensei"].

I pointed out that a meditative experience was not confined to the "-do" forms, but could also be found in the "-jutsu" forms, although this was not their primary function. Also, among the "-do" forms, meditative experiences can be found in both the "internal" styles as well as the "external" styles. No one type of style has a monopoly. I have had such experiences in long term practices such as [ITF] Tae Kwon Do and [Kwang P'ing Yang] T'ai Chi Ch'uan, along with more recent practices such as Iaido and Jodo.

A question about taking instruction came up from a middle-aged beginner; part of her concern was fear of failure. It was pointed out that, only when there is a practice, can it be adjusted and guided into the orthodox method. Let's face it -- you just have to do it, trusting the instructions given, your own ability to approximate them, and the adjustments given to fine-tune your performance. I brought it a step further -- you must "suspend disbelief" (a phrase my wife is fond of using; it really means "go lock your big, fat ego in the closet for the time being") and simply follow the instructions you are given; you must trust the instructor's directions -- they have a purpose even if it is not immediately evident.

As an example, I demonstrated two training exercises we had been given in an Aikido Seminar [see my article "`Inaba-ha' Kashima Shin-Ryu Kenjutsu and Aikido - A Study of Internal Principles [Jan. 1997]: Seminar Report," published in the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts #85, Volume 9, No. 10, pp. 9-17, October 1997.], Shiko (a Sumo exercise consisting a dropping foot stomp followed by a groin stretch in a very low horse stance), and Ritsuzen (a Japanese version of standing meditation done in a shoulder-width stance, with the knees bent and all the weight on the front of the foot, that is, with the heels up; the arms are in a "tree hugging" posture, and the finger tips are all touching); we had done both for 20 minutes each during the Aikido Seminar. They are non-traditional Aikido exercises, but we did as we were told, because we trusted our instructor, who did them right along with us. In the end, the experiences from both of these unorthodox exercises could be incorporated back into our Aikido practices.

On another topic of cross-Art transfer, I offered my personal observation that the rounded arms in first three Coordinations are strongly related to Chan Chuang, Chinese standing meditation, especially Yu Chou Chang (Universal Post), which is taught as part of curriculum of my style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Kwang P'ing Yang. [I find Yu Chou Chang a bit more humane than the above style of Ritsuzen.]

After the talk, a few of us, including Mr. Taylor, ended up in Mr. West's suite in Ashoka Bhavan for beer and margaritas. We continued discussing some of the earlier topics, and opened some new ones. Of particular interest to me were the forms of our Ryuha. First, there is Hitote, in which the preparation work, such as bringing the Ya in position to be nocked, is done in modified Tate-hiza (more like a cross between orthodox Tate-hiza and Kiza, a kind of crouch done with the left knee down; for those familiar with Kenjutsu, it is the Sonkyo posture used as part of the Reiho for several Koryu), while shooting is done from standing.

The second form is Tsukubai, which is done completely from a crouched position. Then there is Reisha, a very formal form; it has many of the elements of Hitote. Reisha uses a fan to begin and end the form; putting on the Kake is part of the form -- there are Rei (bows) to both the fan and the Kake. The person wears a Kimono so that the left arm must be bared before shooting. These is also an attendant who provides the Yumi and two Ya at the beginning, retrieves the Ya, and then removes them at the end. Generally there is a second Yumi as well, a "spare" in case the Tsuru breaks on the first Yumi. [Finally, there is an extremely formal practice called Shihobarai, which is a purification ceremony. Sensei has done them for the dedications of several Azuchi around the country.]

An additional practice is called "castle shooting," shooting nearly vertical at a designated square, representing the old Kyujutsu technique of lobbing arrows into a castle compound during a siege.

Day 4 - 14 September. The day began overcast and foggy -- that's how I picture K-C [there is a stone, which looks a miniature version of the "Heel Stone" at Stonehenge, in front of the Azuchi; it has on it an inscription from Sensei for the dedication of the Azuchi in August, 1992 -- a very loose translation goes like "The morning mists fill the valley; the rising sun disperses the mists." Physically, it's K-C; metaphysically, it's our own minds -- that's why we do Kyudo. It's quite apropos.] After bowing in with a reduced group, Mr. West announced that the morning demonstration would be given by Brian and I -- Hitote from the platform, the very same Hitote we had just learned the day before, ... and with no warm up, that is, no shots on the Makiwara. Needless to say, we pulled it off. [One of the beginners later told us that our demonstration was so moving, she was almost moved to tears.] I later asked Mr. "Obiwan" Stewart [which actually comes from a "corruption" of Sensei's original nickname for Jack, "Ogichan" -- "crazy old man;" actually, for those who know Jack, they are both appropriate], whose idea was it to have us do the morning demo, and he "replied all of us" (instructors). He went on to say that in order to determine how well you know Kyudo, give a demonstration. He, in fact, had given a demonstration of Reisha at K-C earlier in the Summer to a group of 150 people.

We spent our last morning shooting at the Makiwara and then on the platform. Mr. West went over the aspects of doing a demonstration of Hitote in a group; and we worked on fine-tuning Tora Guchi and Hanare [see "Lessons Learned" below]. In the middle of the morning, Mr. West gave a demonstration of Reisha, assisted by Mr. Taylor (who unfortunately had to leave before the formal close, but he had to teach a Kyudo class at Hampshire College [Amherst, MA] in the afternoon). Of course, it was over all too soon. We formally ended at Noon.

After lunch, for Rota (community service), those of us remaining students worked on preparing for a small mid-afternoon reception -- brownies, ice cream, sliced fruit and soft drinks. We held it under the tent in front of the Azuchi. By this time, the sky had cleared and it was a bright sunny afternoon. So, we assembled, the two remaining instructors and the five remaining attendees plus a spouse. An unfinished bottle of Sake appeared, and we drank several toasts before sitting down to eat and talk of our experiences. It was a lovely way to finish the Intensive.

Lessons Learned. The big lessons for this Intensive were adjusting to new Yumi and learning Hitote as well as mapping Shichi-do into Hitote. As I said earlier, in Hitote, the preparation work is done in a modified Tate- hiza position while shooting is done from standing. Challenge number one is transitioning between these two positions. We also learned a new part of the Reiho -- Sumashi, formally saluting the Mato (target) from the platform before the first shot of the day; from Ashi Bumi, one extends the "head" of the Yumi forward (while keeping the height above the platform constant), and then turns the head and sweeps the Yumi towards the Mato in a kind of side stance [this is not a complete description because of the more complex motion of the right hand, but you get the general idea]. There is an informal Sumashi in Hitote when the Ya is nocked, done twice, prior to Torikake (engaging the Kake on the Tsuru) and beginning the draw and shoot sequence -- in Yumi Gamae, the rounded left arm (with the Yumi and nocked Ya in the left hand) is pivoted to the left side at the shoulder until the Yanone (tip of the arrow) comes to the line between you and the Mato [again this is not a complete description, but you get the general idea].

Hitote also has two variations for Makiwara shooting and Embu (formal demonstration) in a group. The Makiwara shooting was described in the "Day 3" activities. For Embu in a group, Hitote is done with two, three, or higher even numbers of Kyudo-ka. In general, all movements are synchronized except the shooting sequence. The lead (first) person does not break stride. With two or three people, the others wait in the modified Tate-hiza until the person in front of you does Ashi Bumi followed by the informal Sumashi before standing up to do the same [the informal Sumashi is followed by Torikake, Shamen no Kamae (a posture indicating commitment to shoot found at the end of Yumi Gamae) and Coordinations Four through Seven -- Uchi Okoshi (raising the Yumi), Hiki Tori (drawing), Kai ("meeting"), and Hanare (release) & Zanshin (lingering mind & body)].

With higher even numbers of people, use the two-person sequence with the other odd-numbered people following the first person, and the other even- numbered people following the second one. At the end, the first person must wait in the modified Tate-hiza position until everyone has shot [for everyone else, if you have finished shooting but others still are in the process, then you too must wait in the modified Tate-hiza position until the lead person rises], before rising and leading everyone else off the platform.

Several aspects of Hanare were my special area of attention during this Intensive. At Kai, the arms are not quite fully extended; they are fully extended on the release as if punching to both sides (recall that the torso is perpendicular to the "firing line"). Also in Kai, the chin is placed on the left shoulder and stays there through Hanare and Zanshin; the head remains motionless during Hanare.

Tora Guchi ("tiger's mouth") remains a constant area for improvement. It was exacerbated by a new Yumi with a stronger draw than I had ever used. The Nigiri (handle) is in contact with just the webbing of the left hand -- the fingers do not grip [instead, they form a loose "barrier" to prevent the Yumi from flying out of the hand towards the Mato during Hanare], and the palm does not touch the Nigiri. Also the wrist is not bent; the hand is in line with the forearm. The thumb and index finger are in a plane parallel to the ground. The pressure of the Nigiri against the webbing initially works to break these alignments as it is quite uncomfortable.

Sad News. During the Intensive, we did receive some rather unpleasant news, Mr. Eric Laufe (Barnet, VT), aka "Dr. Kissinger," who has taken care of the Azuchi and the Kyudo equipment at K-C, is quite ill. I was told it is Epstein-Barre Syndrome; it is a wasting disease. Situations like this put me at a loss for words ..., let me just say that Eric helped to make my first three Kyudo experiences at K-C a joy, and made it easy to keep returning; I am forever indebted to him.

Good News. The void that Mr. Laufe leaves is being filled by two interim caretakers who are K-C residents and Kyudo students, Messers. Pascal Machado and Richard Vogler; they will be helped and guided by Mr. Jack Stewart. And Mr. Sam West is working on bringing in a resident Kyudo Instructor for K-C from Europe.

Apparently, there are plans in the works for the construction of a Dojo at K-C; not only for Kyudo, the Dojo, which would be built in front of the Azuchi, will also have facilities for Shodo, Chado, and Kado (Ikebana).

Special Thanks. With the low student-instructor ratio, we all got plenty of personal attention. I personally received a lot of help from Messers. Sam West, Jack Stewart, and Marion Taylor. I especially want to thank Mr. "Obiwan" Stewart for teaching us Hitote. Thanks to all, including the K-C staff, who made this such great experience. Finally, thanks to Shibata-s., who is always there in spirit (since, if it weren't for him, we would not have been there either).

Sensei's Interview. In my first Kyudo article, "First Shot: Kyudo Intensive in Vermont" [cited in the Introduction], I mentioned that my original connection to Kyudo was through Dr. Deborah Klens-Bigman, a fellow sword practitioner I had first met and practiced with in Guelph, Ontario, in July 1996, who introduced me to her instructor, Mr. Phil Ortiz of New York City, who is also a Kyudo instructor. She and I were both in Guelph again this past July (she as co-chair of our academic panel discussion, and I as co-director of the Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts, and co-host for my Naginata instructor, Ms. Miyako Tanaka, Kyoshi) [see my article "The Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts: Take Three," published in the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts #93, 10(7/8), 18-23, July/August 1998, and the associated TIN (The Iaido Newsletter) #93]; she told me that Mr. Ortiz had wanted her to do an interview of Shibata-s. I told her that I couldn't think of a better person to do it [she has some experience speaking Japanese, had already met Sensei, and they got on rather well]. Her position was that it was a definite possibility.

Just before I left for this Intensive, she posted a message on Iaido-L with the following preface:

".... I just returned from my first kyudo intensive which was held over Labor Day weekend just outside Washington D.C. I have heard from various sources that the yumi can certainly confound people who feel that they have some proficiency another martial arts, and I can tell you that the stories don't lie. It was exhilarating and humbling, not mention somewhat daunting to practice in plus 90 degree heat on an outdoor range for three days. However it was well worth it, and highly recommended. ..."

So my brain immediately registers, besides "Deja-vu all over again:" DKB went to the Intensive with Sensei sponsored by Miyako Kyudojo in Maryland, and took First-Shot; did she get the interview with Sensei that she had talked about in Guelph? So I sent an e-mail message to her and simply asked:

"So, did you get the interview? Inquiring minds want to know!"

To which she replied in part:

"Yes, I got to talk with him on Sunday afternoon. I also got the privilege of having service duty [Rota] on Monday afternoon, and got to watch him watch practice. He actually laughed out loud a couple of times at people's shooting. All in all, it was a humbling experience! His advice to the group - less talk, more practice!" [It sure sounds like Sensei, doesn't it.]

[FYI: I actually did not get to read this e-mail reply until after returning from K-C.]

So, now you know. I am very happy to hear that the interview took place. I also know that these things are very hard to put together, from Ms. Sephanie Hoppe, T'ai Chi Ch'uan instructor, fellow Naginata student, and the author of "Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial Arts in Women's Lives" [Park Street Press, Rochester, VT, 1998], which is a set of twenty interviews with women martial artists; I had a chance to talk to her about her experiences researching the book this past August in Ogden, Utah, during the 1998 Annual USNF [US Naginata Federation] Atarashii Naginata Seminar & Shinsa, and Biennial Championship Tournament.

The plan, as I understand it, is to submit the transcript of interview to the Journal of Asian Martial Arts for publication. I can't wait for this article, but I know it will take time to properly prepare it.

Home Study. In the weeks following this Intensive, I began to shoot at home. But first I had to build a Makiwara stand. It's basically a platform about 1.5' by 3' [I used some 5/8" plywood left over from a previous project] on legs [I used pressure-treated 2" by 4"s so I can leave it out; there are diagonal side braces and a horizontal back brace to stabilize the legs, and I attached the legs to the platform with 3" L-brackets]. The length of the legs positions the middle of the straw bale target at the height of my mouth.

I then took a quick trip to the farm stand to buy a straw bale (it's the right season to easily get them), and covered it with a white bed sheet [a flat sheet for a twin bed is just about the right size]. With two coats of paint (a primer followed by a coat of black paint), I can leave the stand outdoors with a secured tarp covering the sheet-wrapped straw bale. I have also set the legs on patio stones sunk into the earth so I can return the stand to a level area. Unfortunately, when it gets too cold to have the Yumi outdoors (which will be too soon now), I will have store it in the tool shed with the lawn mower until spring, unless I can find some indoor site for the winter (I'm looking).

I also got two green rag rugs to put on the ground so that I can shoot in bare feet and keep my Hakama clean [the back yard is shaded primarily by tall evergreens, so there are generally pine and spruce needles on the ground, which commonly have little bits of resin on the ends; right now (early October) the trees are still dropping small (about 3/4 inch) seed cones as well]. Just beyond this area, my land slopes upwards sharply at least 50' forming a very large natural back-stop; the slope is heavily wooded so no one could casually wander through. It is safe, secluded and comfortable. I even have some outdoor lighting there, so that I can shoot after sunset.