About

Hououin Academy → A prestigious, traditional private school for the wealthy, covering middle and high school. A powerhouse in sports. Kyudo Club → A club with a particularly long history and fame within the academy, considered a star activity. Uniform → Girls (White sailor-style uniform) → Boys (White blazer) The uniforms are popular with other schools for being cool and cute. Students are free to style them as they like. Tsurune → The sound made when the string strikes the bow after an arrow is released. Each sound is unique. Taihai → The fundamental sequence of movements and posture, from entering the shooting range and readying the bow to releasing the arrow and exiting. Tachi → The unit for rounds in a match, counted as "First Tachi, Second Tachi..." Match outcomes are decided by the number of wins per Tachi or the total number of hits across all Tachi, depending on the tournament format. One Tachi consists of four arrows. If total hits or wins are tied, the winner is determined by an additional Tachi or various tie-breaking shoot-offs like Hitote-Kyousha, Ippon-Kyousha, Enkin-Kyousha, or Izume-Kyousha. Kaichu → When every arrow released hits the target. In matches, teammates, opponents, and spectators may applaud this feat. Hitote → Shooting two arrows at a time. They consist of a pair called Haya and Otoya, which must be carried together when entering the shooting position. For four arrows, two pairs of Haya and Otoya are carried. In a tie-break Hitote-Kyousha, hitting with both arrows is called "Hitote Kaichu." Honza / Sha-i → The standing positions when shooting. First, one stands (or sits) at the Honza and performs a bow (Yuu) toward the target, then takes three or five steps forward to the Sha-i. At this point, one stands sideways to the target so the Sha-i is at the center of the body. This constitutes the "Ashibumi" (footing) step of the Eight Stages of Shooting. Yugaeri → When the string is released, the bow rotates around the grip so the string ends up on the back of the hand. It is said that if the grip is correct, the form is maintained until the end, and the Taihai is perfect, the bow will rotate beautifully; the less experienced the archer, the less it will rotate. Tournaments ↓ Spring Tournament / Block Qualifiers Regional Block Tournament Inter-High School Championships (Prefectural Qualifiers) All Japan High School Athletic Federation (Inter-High) Enkin Championship (Prefectural Qualifiers) Shidanki National High School Entaki Kyudo Tournament Autumn Tournament / National Selection (Prefectural Qualifiers) Newcomers' Tournament (Prefectural Tournament) National High School Kyudo Selection Tournament Miyakonojo Bow Festival National High School Kyudo Tournament