International Regional Kyudo Seminar of the European Kyudo Federation (EKF)
and the First Kyudo-Tournament in the online format for
the Cup of the Consul General of Japan in St. Petersburg
On the 23-24th of June, 2018 in Saint-Petersburg it was held the Annual Kyudo Festival “White Nights. Kyudo-Style”. This year the event, which has already become traditional for Saint-Petersburg, was special.
For the first time, in the context of the Festival in Saint-Petersburg, in was held the International Regional Seminar under the supervisor by Senseis of European Kyudo Federation Mr. Tryggvi Sigurdsson, Kyoshi, 7 dan and Mr. Gérald Zimmermann, Kyoshi, 6 dan.
More than 40 people took part in the seminar. Among the participants of the seminar, besides Russians, there were representatives of Sweden, Romania, Great Britain, Malaysia. Senseis generously shared with the participants their longstanding experience of Kyudo practice and conducted preliminary preparation of participants for the Annual Friendly Kyudo Tournament for the Cup of General Consul of Japan in Saint-Petersburg.
This year the Tournament in Saint-Petersburg was held in an unusual format. For the first time, Kyudo Tournament White Nights “Kyudo-Style” for the Cup of General Consul of Japan in Saint-Petersburg united two Russian venues in the condition of video broadcasting – Saint-Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
The use of modern technologies at this event was bound up with the fact that on the same dates, on the 23-24th of June, 2018 in Yekaterinburg, it was held the Kyudo Seminar and Kyudo Tournament under the leadership of the Senseis of International Kyudo Federation. And the participants of the Kyudo Tournament in Yekaterinburg became a youth archery team from Japan (students of the Saitama University), who visited Yekaterinburg within the Program of the Japan Russia Youth Exchange Center. The tradition of youth exchanges in the Kyudo area was started in Saint-Petersburg in 2016. Yekaterinburg adequately supported and continued this initiative.
Moreover, one of the significant historical events of this year was the visit to Russia of Her Imperial  Highness Princess of Japan Takamado Hisako, in connection with the World Football  Championship.
Yekaterinburg was one of the cities, which was visited by the Princess Takamado. Being the Honorary President of the International Kyudo Federation, Her Imperial Highness visited the Kyudo event in Yekaterinburg, making a great honor to all the participants of the Seminar and the International Kyudo Tournament.
In Saint-Petersburg, the Vice-Consul of Culture of the General Consulate of Japan in Saint-Petersburg, Ms. Tada Kotomi, took part in the opening ceremony of the Kyudo Festival White Nights “Kyudo-Style” 2018.
The Consul of the General Consulate of Japan in Saint-Petersburg Mr. Fukushima Masanori took part in the ceremony of awarding the winners of the Tournament.
In the context of the Tournament, archers in Saint-Petersburg and Yekaterinburg competed in the team and individual championships. The membership of the teams was mixed and formed by the drawing of lots.
According to the results the prize places were allotted in such way: 1st place was taken by a team of participants from Yekaterinburg – Yamamoto Tomohiro (Japan), Takayanagi Yuki (Japan), Neverov Igor (Russia); 2nd place was taken by a team of participants from Saint-Petersburg – Andersson Johan (Sweden), Alekseeva Anna (Russia), Skorokhodova Kristina (Russia); 3rd place was also taken by a team of participants from Saint-Petersburg – Moroz Fedor (Russia), Isaeva Maria (Russia), Bolle Vladimir (Russia).
In the individual championship won the Japanese archers:
1st place Ainai Hiroki

2nd place Yamamoto Tomohiro

3rd place Shinyo Tetsuya.
The winner of the International Friendly Kyudo Tournament “White Nights. Kyudo-Style” in 2018 for the Cup of General Consul of Japan in Saint-Petersburg became Ainai Hiroki (Japan).
The main prize of the Tournament - the Cup of General Consul of Japan in Saint-Petersburg – will be sent to Japan as a deserved victorious trophy of Japanese archers.
The archers and the teams that took the prizes places, were rewarded with Diplomas and medals.
Without a doubt, for the Russian Kyudo, the event in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg is a historic event, the consequences of which are yet to be properly understood by its participants.
The organizers of the event in Saint-Petersburg are RPO “Saint-Petersburg Federation of Traditional Kyudo” and IPO “Federation of Kyudo”. Co-organizer of the event in Saint-Petersburg is Genegal Consulate of Japan in Saint-Petersburg, coordinating management was carried out by Saint-Petersburg Branch of “Russian Union of Martial Arts”. The general management of the Seminars and the Refereeing of the Tournament was carried out by Senseis of European Kyudo Federation (Saint-Peresburg) and International Kyudo Federation (Yekaterinburg).
RPO “Saint-Petersburg Federation of Traditional Kyudo” thanks the participants, organizers and co-organizers of the event for their help, support and the next contribution to the development of Kyudo in Russia in general and in Saint-Petersburg in particular.