Ten Years, One Step
Teachings from Kyudo Master Kanjuro Shibata XX
Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei
December 29, 1921 - October 21, 2013
Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei was born in Kyoto, Japan, the twentieth in an unbroken lineage of master bow makers and the third in his line to hold the title of Onyumishi, Bowmaker to the Emperor. His rigorous training in the meditative disciplines of kyudo practice and bow making began at the age of eight with his grandfather, Kanjuro Shibata XIX.
Upon completion of his secondary school training, he was recruited into the army and served for years as a soldier during World War II. His cavalry unit was captured on the Russian front in Afghanistan and he was sent to a prison camp in Siberia, where he spent nearly three years in extreme deprivation. After the war, Sensei returned to Kyoto. Upon his grandfather’s passing, he received the title of Onyumishi and upheld his teaching responsibilities as a kyudo master. Over time, he became disillusioned with the direction of kyudo practice in Japan with its growing emphasis on rank and prizes.
In 1979 he received an invitation from Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche to come to the West and help to train his students in the discipline of kyudo and other Japanese art forms. The two of them made a powerful, lifelong connection and together established Ryuko Kyudojo (“Dragon Tiger Practice Hall”) in Boulder, Colorado where Sensei soon took up residence. Trungpa Rinpoche passed in 1987. Sensei remained loyal to Trungpa Rinpoche’s vision and the Shambhala community Rinpoche had founded until the end of his life. Sensei’s last decades were spent traveling and teaching, establishing kyudo practice groups throughout North America and Europe. He passed in 2013 in Boulder, Colorado at the age of 91.
December 29, 1921 - October 21, 2013
Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei was born in Kyoto, Japan, the twentieth in an unbroken lineage of master bow makers and the third in his line to hold the title of Onyumishi, Bowmaker to the Emperor. His rigorous training in the meditative disciplines of kyudo practice and bow making began at the age of eight with his grandfather, Kanjuro Shibata XIX.
Upon completion of his secondary school training, he was recruited into the army and served for years as a soldier during World War II. His cavalry unit was captured on the Russian front in Afghanistan and he was sent to a prison camp in Siberia, where he spent nearly three years in extreme deprivation. After the war, Sensei returned to Kyoto. Upon his grandfather’s passing, he received the title of Onyumishi and upheld his teaching responsibilities as a kyudo master. Over time, he became disillusioned with the direction of kyudo practice in Japan with its growing emphasis on rank and prizes.
In 1979 he received an invitation from Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche to come to the West and help to train his students in the discipline of kyudo and other Japanese art forms. The two of them made a powerful, lifelong connection and together established Ryuko Kyudojo (“Dragon Tiger Practice Hall”) in Boulder, Colorado where Sensei soon took up residence. Trungpa Rinpoche passed in 1987. Sensei remained loyal to Trungpa Rinpoche’s vision and the Shambhala community Rinpoche had founded until the end of his life. Sensei’s last decades were spent traveling and teaching, establishing kyudo practice groups throughout North America and Europe. He passed in 2013 in Boulder, Colorado at the age of 91.
What is Kyudo?
Literally, “the way of the bow”, kyudo is a form of standing meditation. The kyudo Shibata XX, Sensei taught was without rank or excessive emphasis on perfecting a form. He stressed repeatedly that it is not a sport, not a martial art, and not something designed to boost one’s ego through besting an opponent or hitting the target.
“In kyudo practice, you kill you,” he would say. You cut your own ego. He taught kyudo strictly as a meditation practice, a long and slow path for uncovering one’s inherent dignity through polishing the heart.
Curating this Blog
Shibata XX, Sensei left these materials in my care and, as such, it is my wholehearted intention to present them in alignment with his style and vision. The materials here were part of our personal collection. Some pre-dated my presence in his life, but most were accumulated during our time together. Contributions from others are welcome. Posts will be curated for overall flow and coherence of the site's content.
Note: Since his passing, Shibata XX, Sensei is now officially referred to as “Sendai” rather than “Sensei,” a title often used for the late head of a family. For the purposes of this blog, I have chosen to refer to him as he was referred to during his lifetime and as he was affectionately known by his students, including myself. This is to retain a naturalness in the relating of these accounts and to aid in transmitting them as living presence rather than memory, per se. I’m confident he would be fine with this choice.
Shibata XX, Sensei left these materials in my care and, as such, it is my wholehearted intention to present them in alignment with his style and vision. The materials here were part of our personal collection. Some pre-dated my presence in his life, but most were accumulated during our time together. Contributions from others are welcome. Posts will be curated for overall flow and coherence of the site's content.
Note: Since his passing, Shibata XX, Sensei is now officially referred to as “Sendai” rather than “Sensei,” a title often used for the late head of a family. For the purposes of this blog, I have chosen to refer to him as he was referred to during his lifetime and as he was affectionately known by his students, including myself. This is to retain a naturalness in the relating of these accounts and to aid in transmitting them as living presence rather than memory, per se. I’m confident he would be fine with this choice.
Carolyn Kanjuro - Blog Curator
For the last decade of his life, I served as Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei’s wife and translator, virtually 24/7 at his side. The richness of this decade and the reverberation of his teachings remain with me and I hope some of it can come through in this site. Upon meeting Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche at the age of nine, I embarked on a Buddhist path. Alongside this, I studied experimental theater at NYU, founded a troupe of young performers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was Creative Director and writer for a media production company for fifteen years. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and content/communications specialist in a variety of media.
Publications include:
Secrets of the World, a multicultural storytelling audio series (samples and digital downloads available here; original publisher Sounds True, Inc.)
Sei Ran: Sky Storm Teachings and Calligraphies by Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei (translator and book designer; high quality, hand bound book, first edition sold out; Chrysanthemum Books)
Yumi Dance: Chronicle of a Spiritual Emergency (high quality, hand bound; Chrysanthemum Books)
Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland (co-authored with Eddie Lenihan; Tarcher/Putnam)
For the last decade of his life, I served as Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei’s wife and translator, virtually 24/7 at his side. The richness of this decade and the reverberation of his teachings remain with me and I hope some of it can come through in this site. Upon meeting Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche at the age of nine, I embarked on a Buddhist path. Alongside this, I studied experimental theater at NYU, founded a troupe of young performers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was Creative Director and writer for a media production company for fifteen years. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and content/communications specialist in a variety of media.
Publications include:
Secrets of the World, a multicultural storytelling audio series (samples and digital downloads available here; original publisher Sounds True, Inc.)
Sei Ran: Sky Storm Teachings and Calligraphies by Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei (translator and book designer; high quality, hand bound book, first edition sold out; Chrysanthemum Books)
Yumi Dance: Chronicle of a Spiritual Emergency (high quality, hand bound; Chrysanthemum Books)
Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland (co-authored with Eddie Lenihan; Tarcher/Putnam)
