Page "Kyūdō" Paragraph 29

The yumi ( Japanese bow ) is exceptionally tall ( standing over two meters ), surpassing the height of the archer.

Yumi are traditionally made of bamboo, wood and leather using techniques which have not changed for centuries, although some archers ( particularly, those new to the art ) may use synthetic ( i. e. laminated wood coated with glassfiber or carbon fiber ) yumi.

Even advanced kyudoka may own non-bamboo yumi and ya because of the vulnerability of bamboo equipment to extreme climates.

The suitable height for yumi depends on the archer's draw ( yazuka ) which is about half the archer's height.