About UKKA - The United Kingdom Kyudo Association


UKKA was established in 1975 and is a founder member of the European Kyudo Federation (EKF) and the International Kyudo Federation ( IKYF).
It is responsible for ANKF gradings and maintaining the highest standards of practice and safety as recognized by the All Nippon Kyudo Federation (ANKF).  It is the governing body for ANKF kyudo in the UK, and in keeping with its amateur status, UKKA is a non-profitmaking voluntary organization. Members may not profit from the practice of kyudo.

UKKA is administered by an elected Executive, with all aspects relating to practice supervised by a Technical Committee (Shidoiinkai).
The Chair of the Executive and the Shidoiinkai are the same, and is a person of the highest grading and experience in kyudo as well as meeting the requirements as an Executive Officer.

Clubs (dojo) are established and given recognition by UKKA, and are under the supervision of the Shidoiinkai. Each club has a dojo leader who must be a graded person and is under the supervision of the designated member of the Shidoiinkai. All instructors must hold the required instructor insurance. Individual members are joined through the clubs of the association and receive insurance cover and access to national seminars, examinations, and international events.

What is ANKF Kyudo?

The term kyudo means literally “The Way of the Bow”.  Historically it  comes from two main lineage, mounted archery and archery on foot, which divided basically into a ceremonial tradition with emphasis on ritual and etiquette and the warrior style expressing the vitality and technique for the battlefield. Three main schools, the Ogasawara, Heki, and Honda contributed to the developed of modern “kyudo” which has incorporated all of these qualities into its modern form.

The All Nippon Kyudo Federation (ANKF) was established in 1949 as the governing body for kyudo in Japan. This required a standardized form so that practitioners of the different traditional schools could practise in harmony without dispute. In 1953 a committee of Masters took all the best qualities of the traditional schools and incorporated them into the standardized ANKF form, with a front raising draw (shomen uchiokoshi) and a side aslant raising draw (shamen uchiokoshi) and the standardized forms of ceremonial shooting (sharei) as well as the forms used in examination and competition.  ANKF kyudo is practised throughout Japan and worldwide, and is the form used by the International Kyudo Federation (IKYF) and its member nations.

What are Traditional Schools?

Traditional schools such as the Ogasawara, Heki and Honda have the purpose to preserve their individual lineage and to keep these historical traditions alive. They are important as cultural heritage and are respected by the ANKF as part of its own origins. However, although individual members are members of the ANKF, the individual schools are not. In Japan, while traditional schools and the ANKF are distinct they work together in harmony and demonstrations of traditional schools can be seen at public events organized by the ANKF.

ANKF Kyudo and Sport

As a recreational activity, kyudo is also practised as a competitive sport, where the challenge and demands of competition are seen to compliment usual practice. In fact there are many parallels between the relationship to mental training found in sport and these traditional Japanese disciplines. Competitions are held nationally and internationally with a World Tournament ( Taikai) planned for the near future.

UKKA has been successful in the team and individual events in Europe and in Japan.