From July 21 to 28, the Neandertal Kyudo Club hosted a guest from Japan.

Fumihiro Nagata is pursuing a degree in sports science at the University of Tsukuba and is studying kyudo under Prof. Toshio Mori, the successor to Prof. Genshiro Inagaki. The German Kyudo Federation and its affiliated clubs have traditionally maintained close ties with the University of Tsukuba, as Prof. Inagaki—who held the first kyudo seminars in Germany in 1969—held the chair in kyudo there.

Erkrath was the first stop on a several-month-long trip during which Mr. Nagata will visit various kyudo clubs in Germany and Finland. He is about to begin his thesis and hopes to gather material for it in Europe as well. He was particularly interested in the training conditions and the motivation of German Kyudoka to practice this sport, which is still very rare in Europe. During a joint training session in the gym at Neandertal Gymnasium, participants were able to exchange experiences, and Mr. Nagata provided individual archers with corrections.

Kyudo clubs in Germany place great importance on maintaining close ties with the sport’s country of origin. “It’s always important to have instructors from Japan as guests,” emphasizes Reinhard Kollotzek, president of the Neandertal Kyudo Club. “They point out areas for improvement and offer suggestions for our own instruction.”

In addition to the athletic aspect of the visit, getting to know the country and its people was, of course, also a priority. Together with club members, the itinerary included visits to the Neanderthal Museum, Düsseldorf’s Old Town, and the Solingen Blade Museum, among other destinations.

Automatically translated by DeepL