This booklet was written as answers to the questions from Mr. Hans de Wekker who is the President of the Holland Kyudo Federation. He visited Japan during the spring of 1991 and the spring of 1992. We discussed about the importance of REI and relationships of SHA. Then he requested me to write about the concept of REI, because they are very important for KYUDO STUDENT but they are very difficult to understand for EUROPEAN KYUDO STUDENT not having experiences to live in Japan. At the sametimes I discussed about this problem with Dr. P. Procesi of ARK too. We recognized the importance of REI in practicing Kyudo. The concept of REI which is mastered through practicing Kyudo is especially important in our daily life. So I dare to write this booklet although my poor English. I hope this booklet can assist you to understand the concept of JAPANESE REI for EUROPEAN KYUDO STUDENTS.

Generally speaking, in SHA-REI, the shooter's character, attitude and thought toward KYUDO will appear so we can observe their human characteristic and virtues. KYUDO STUDENTS must remember these facts through living with strict discipline and practicing KYUDO.

One of the main purposes in practicing KYUDO is to understand that SHA is just LIFE itself and SHA is also DAILY LIFE. It means when we have mastered REI through practicing KYUDO, the mind of REI will penetrate our daily lives and will make us rich and happy in our mental lives. I recognized that the thoughts of CONFUCIANISM, which is the relationship among persons based on the thought of REI, influenced JAPANESE CUSTOM and SOCIAL RULES through our JAPANESE history. I think that at the same time these are human ideas, so they are similar in the concept of manners in EUROPE, as well as common concepts anywhere anytime and globally.

For instance, let's suppose there is a family; there are parents, their grandparents and their children. The parents have reverence for their grandparents; the husband respects his wife as his life partner; the wife respects her husband as the person in charge of society; and the children respect their parents who are wise and experienced in life as they give useful advice in their daily lives. Among the children, the oldest child assists the younger children and help each other. These relationships are common in the world, and happen naturally in the rules of relationships. It also occurs in the concept of REI.

When we expand these relationships of the family to society, you can easily understand the value of REI and the meaning of REI. In JAPANESE, COUNTRY means that which is expanded from the family to the level of the nation. In this sense, the JAPANESE put the emphasis on the group or mass. The relationships between one group and another group or the group and the individual based on the concept of REI are common engagements. It is different in EUROPE where the emphasis lies in the dignity of the individual, and the decisions of social organization and engagements are based on personal rights. I think REI has a similar concept to etiquette or manners in EUROPE, and is of the same roots.

We must live together, recognizing each existence and live coexisltingly in this world. We want to live a higher and purer life, personally. As I wrote earlier, REI is the behavior and spoken language forming the basis of human and social relationships. Therefore, REI lays emphasis in the practical, making smooth human relations, beauty and or harmony. The thought of harmony and unity play an important role in the basic parts of JAPANESE CULTURE.

The JAPANESE CULTURE grew from the agricultural rice growing society. In the rice growing society, people need the concepts of cooperation, harmony and unity for daily life. This was especially important. Because Japan is a small island country and people cannot escape from the natural condition of the island. For a rice growing society, water is a very important resource, so people had to know the distribution of water to each farmer from the mountain to the flat lands. At the same time the natural condition of JAPAN has 4 seasons every 3 months, so planting seeds, transplanting rice seeding or harvesting must be punctual, because the weather condition is very changeable in a short term. So they have to be punctual and gather the labor powers. Not only rice growing, but all agriculture depends upon natural conditions. The harvest itself is decided by the weather. It is difficult for one to foretell the weather therefore one must cope with bad weather. People must heard the wisdom of the elderly who hold great knowledge of harvesting and the experience of foretelling the weather. We must gain the knowledge or meaning of life from the experienced persons, and when we respect the experienced ones, he/she will teach us because he/she has the wisdom of life.

Maybe you can understand that the JAPANESE REI puts the relationship of human beings on both the vertical and horizontal social lines. JAPANESE REI sets the value and connections between one's heart and one's companion's heart more than on the form or figure of REI. For instance, in REI, the greeting of the respecting mind is more important than where we set our hands. REI without the respecting or thanking mind is said to be the lie of REI or the untruth of REI. It gives hurt to the REI receiver. The reasonable motions are the most beautiful, and reasonable behavior is the movement which is removed of waste. In short, the basic thought in behavior of rising up or sitting down must be practiced and beautiful.

In CONFUCIANISM there are 7 kinds of relationships. They are the relationships between the Lord and Samurai, the parents and their children, the husband and his wife, brothers and sisters, colleagues, youngsters and adults, and your guests, in each relationship there are rules about the attitude and relationships. They include all relationships-vertical and horizontal. To organize society there are surely relationships vertical and horizontal. If the vertical line is weak, then the society will become weak. To make the vertical line strong is more important than the horizontal line.

If the vertical line is weak then one can not hit the target consistently and does not have a beautiful shooting figure. If the vertical line becomes weak the balance of the right and the left can be easily destroyed; so one can not hit the target.

Therefore at DAISAN we take the foundation of the vertical line, and at HIKIWAKE we take regard to the vertical line and at KAI we continue to stretch to heaven and toward extension of the arrow forever. About 1350 AD in JAPAN, the rules of REI were established by OGASAWARA RYU, and were handed down from generation to generation and are still followed through the present time.

3. MOVEMENTS OF REI & ITS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

indicates the criterion by which we can act in our daily life efficiently, practically and beautifully. What were decided as customs years ago are still reasonable; they are not impossible, unreasonable or unjust. If new rules of REI were made as new conditions which were not natural or reasonable, they would fade away. When we teach our students about REI, the beauty of all actions must be with hip, and hand things with our upper arms. Therefore you must feel like a light breeze blows under the arms. As a result of acting so you can let the forearms free, so the movements of the finger tips and hands become light, and you will recognize the beautiful fingers such as when playing the piano or violin.

And when we open the JAPANESE sliding door or the paper sliding door, we should change hands at the center of our body, then we can keep a beautifully vertical line. There reasons are as follow; the movement of the hands should come from the center of our body, if we move beyond the center and want to move them in the opposite direction, then we must use different muscles, then sometimes we make mistakes in the movement. This is a fact that can be proven by the measurement of muscles by technology.

When we go foreword or backward with the knees, we use the opposite hand to assist, just the same as when walking, because when we go foreword with the right knee then we use the left hand, which is reasonable. When we offer an article, we bend the upper body, then we can offer the article even a far distance. At the same time when we bend the upper body, the guest will feel good and we can offer the articles to the suitable position. When we want to teach how to hold articles to students, they should make the figure good with the arms round just like holding a large tree, and the figure should be like flowing water. The figure of flowing water means when we flow the water from the shoulder, the water flows to the fingertips and arms straight from the shoulder, and from arms to hands and fingers. The figure is very beautiful and natural. The figure of holding round means that we can move the upper arms well. If you make your arms round and lift your hands calmly to your eyes, you will notice that the other muscles of your shoulders will move. Then when you release the round a little (make an eclipse), you will find that you use the same muscles in the eyes, you may straighten your arms a little.

When you bring articles down under your chest, the other muscles move just the same as raising the eyes, so you will straighten your arms a little.

When you want to carry the JAPANESE cushion (za-buton), you hold it close to your body. When you want to offer it for your guest, you bend your upper body, set your hands to the tatami mat, then you may not be impolite to offer anything. When you present something to your guest, you do not carry back both hands. You may carry them back one by one, thus you prevent from being impolite because you can check if your guest can take it or not, so you carry back one hand, then you can check that the guest takes it, and next you may carry back the other hand. These conventions which come from days of old are based on the wisdom of living and are reasonable as well as efficient. We can not deny the old conventions or customs, because the old customs which still continue today are reasonable efficient, beautiful, practical, having the warm heart to the guests, so they are valuable and always new.

--- The above are quotes from the book of OGASAWARA SENSEI ---.

Maybe you can compare them with REI in CONFUCIANISM. REI IN CONFUCIANISM is the appearance of JIN (perfect virtue)and the root of REI depends upon consideration, thoughtfulness and giving attention to another person which is the way of a virtuous person. You can understand that REI OF OGASAWARA is based on the REI IN CONFUCIANISM.

For instance, imagine dining table before your eyes. You can see bread, egg, ham, bacon, cheese, coffee etc. on the table, and maybe you bought them with your money, but you can not make all of them by yourself. Probably all of these things are made by another person's hands. Even cabbage, 0nions and carrots which are cultivated on your farm, they are made up of the other person's efforts such as fertilizer and tools for cultivating the land. If you will pay any money for tools and fertilizer, there is born the THANKING mind for the activity of persons' NATURALLY. When we have the THANKING MIND, we will cultivate the mind of thanks to live together, to consider other people and to respect everybody NATURALLY.

In the thought of REI we think about the importance of RANK & ORDER. They belong in vertical lines society, and have different styles in the speaking and behavior to the objects of REI. In JAPANESE we use speech and writing properly according to RANK. Especially in the world of KYUDO, we treat RANK & ORDER very importantly. When we stand in line, we must obey RANK & ORDER.

President, Vice President, Leader of the Branch, General Manager, Account etc.

There is RANK or ORDER where there is an organization.

The order of SHOUGOU is HANSHI,KYOUSHI and RENSHI.

We call SENSEI to the person who has SHOUGOU.

1) This article is the preface of "Rei in Kyudo" which is my booklet.

2. In the case of JAPANESE KYUDO students must show REI to the higher ranked

person always, even in the DOJO and out of the DOJO. In the case of European, I am

afraid that European student will keep REI in the DOJO as the Manner of Kyudo, but

when speaking and behavior, because your European thought are based on

Democracy and Equality, so each individual must be equal. If you are a Kyudo

students, please keep REI to the higher ranked person especially to the SENSEI or

KYUDO LEADERS. I think to keep REI is the duty of Kyudo Students. You must not

show disrespect to your Senseis and Senpais, through practicing Kyudo. In the case of

Kyudo Students it is common sense that even if you are higher ranked than the other

person, you do not have a haughty attitude.

3) A person who takes the higher DAN will become MODEST much more, and it is

coming from the thought of REI, and it is the result of living with strict discipline of

KYUDO. This is not the society of power. About them I want to write in the following

pages which is REI of teacher to students. There is a saying that when the rice grows

up, the ear of the rice bends its head.

4. Before World War 2 this discipline (to maintain public order) had been adhered to every in JAPAN, but after World War 2 these beautiful disciplines were destroyed by the educational system, democracy and policy of freedom so I think.

Before World War 2 we JAPANESE were living under the influence of SHINTOISM &

CONFUCIANISM and we had strong vertical lines and controlled human relation with

the concept of REI or CHU(FAITHFUL) for about 1000 years. They came to be present

in JAPANESE LIVING, CUSTOM, BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL SYSTEM and all HUMAN

RELATIONSHIPS. These traditional thoughts have been destroyed, so the discipline of

REI became weak in JAPANESE CUSTOMS. Therefore the morality based on

JAPANESE CULTURE has become confused, but they have been kept in BUDO,

especially in KYUDO. We must re-valuate these beautiful and practical custom and

the social system, and we must appreciate these values again, and we must make the

best use of them in our life. Because this society is made up of human relations, the

concept of REI is very useful. There is a proverb that A HEDGE BETWEEN KEEPS

FRIENDSHIP GREEN. When we think about the concept of REI in the relationship

between parents and children, the teacher and students, they are usual and

understandable, and they become smooth in the beautiful manner and custom.

This is not a problem of EDUCATION, this is the problem of CULTURE in this social

system, and the problems of human relationships.

5. By these means we must balance morality and discipline in the social system or mass

ethics and freedom & democracy, and make the AGE of good relations in the world and

communities. A hedge between keeps friendship green. But I think that they are

beginning to decide how to balance disciplines and morals in these 45 years after

World War 2 in JAPAN.

6. In modern JAPAN there is a misunderstanding about the concept of REI in the younger

generations. I think there will not be enough time to correct the thought, because in

JAPAN we are not keeping morality in the social system now. In the thought of

JAPANESE BUDO we make important positions in EXPERIENCES. Of course we do

not take the theory lightly, but practice is more important. We must learn REI under the

experienced teacher to improve our own KYUDO and must make REI to our teachers

and leaders and among the members, and in your family and society.

When JAPANESE people gather together, their behavior and speaking is influenced by awareness of the order and rank of each person within the group according to age, society status and other such considerations.

Both this and the fact that honorific forms of speech in the JAPANESE language have reached such an advanced level of sophistication show that JAPANESE place an emphasis on vertical relationships. END