Hanare / The Release
離れ
The moment of releasing the bowstring in kyudo, which should occur spontaneously as the natural culmination of the full draw rather than as a conscious shooting of the arrow.
Quick Facts
Definition
Hanare is one of the eight stages of the traditional kyudo shooting sequence (hassetsu) and represents the moment when the right thumb releases from the hook of the yugake glove and the bowstring propels the arrow forward. Unlike Western archery, where releasing the string is a deliberate act of will, kyudo philosophy teaches that a correct hanare should occur by itself, as the natural consequence of the growing tension built during the kai stage, without the archer deciding on the shot itself. This concept is closely tied to the Buddhist and Zen influences on kyudo, which stress that the mind should not cling to the outcome or to the moment of release (mushin, the state of no-mind). Hanare is followed by a stage called zanshin, in which the archer remains in position and observes the arrow's flight, considered an integral part of the technique and an expression of inner calm. An incorrect, forced, or consciously yanked hanare is regarded in kyudo as a technical fault, and instructors often trace it to insufficient relaxation in the preceding stages, particularly in kai.
Related Terms
State of relaxed alertness and sustained mental focus before, during, and after a technique.
Kamae構えPhysical guard posture and mental state of combative readiness.
Kai / Full Draw会The stage of kyudo in which the archer holds the bowstring at full draw in a moment of apparent stillness that in fact conceals ever-growing internal tension leading naturally into the release (hanare).
Yumi / Japanese Longbow弓The traditional Japanese longbow with a distinctly asymmetric shape, whose grip sits roughly one-third of the way up from the bottom end rather than at the center as in Western bows.