Old school kyudo: Heki Ryu

Picture: Heki Danjo teaching Yoshida Shigekata.

Besides kisha, Japanese horse archery, there is hosha, shooting techniques on foot, especially the techniques of the foot soldier. These became more relevant as the objective of military interventions changed from policing expeditions on horseback to outright invasion and occupation of neighbouring territory in the sengoku jidai, which necessitated infantry.

Hosha culminated in the late 15th century in battle field techniques ascribed to Heki Danjo Masatsugu, the half-mythical teacher to Yoshida Shigekata (sometimes claimed to be a nom de guerre of Shigekata himself), famous for a devastatingly precise technique with great penetrating power.

This Yoshida Ryu aka Heki Ryu split into a number of branches, some of which, like the Okura Ha, Sekka Ha, Satsuma Ha, Dosetsu Ha, Insai Ha, and Chikurin Ha still are taught today. (The Chikurin Ha has possibly a different origin than the other branches.)

Here is an old movie of the techniques and tactics of the Satsuma Ha that give an impression of what the practical application of Heki Ryu on the battlefield may have looked like:

https://youtu.be/dTLCKDRIg14

https://youtu.be/FtCb_yHdC1I

https://youtu.be/H8ge-vxt5a0