Kyūdō itself is not a religion, but instead has influences from both Shinto and Zen. Post Meiji when bows were no longer used for war, kyūdō in Japan was practiced for physical education, without any connection to zen or religion. However, since the Second World War, kyūdō has often been associated with Zen Buddhism, largely due to the efforts of a single book, Zen in the Art of Archery (1948) by the German author Eugen Herrigel. Herrigel spoke only a little Japanese, generally using a translator to speak with his teacher. His view on kyūdō is due his exposure to a contemplative form of kyūdō. Even so, Herrigel's book, when translated into Japanese in 1956, had a huge impact on the perception of kyūdō also in Japan.
Kyūdō itself is not a religion, but instead has influences from both Shinto and Zen. Post Meiji when bows were no longer used for war, kyūdō in Japan was practiced fo!r physical education, without any connection to zen or religion. However, since the Second World War, kyūdō has often been associated with Zen Buddhism, largely due to the efforts of a single book, Zen in the Art of Archery (1948) by the German author Eugen Herrigel. Herrigel sp.oke only a little Japanese, generally using a translator to spea.k with his teacher. His view on kyūdō is due his exposure to a contemplative form of kyūdō. Even so, Herrigel's book, when translated into Japanese in 1956, had a huge impact on the perception of kyūdō also in Japan.