A string usually breaks without warning. The shot before was normal; this time the release sounds different, and the string is hanging loose. Whether you carry on practising that day depends entirely on what is in your bag.
How to choose a string, and when to replace one, are separate questions. This page is about the stocking side: how many spares, in what state, carried in what.
The short version
- For ordinary practice, keep two strings besides the one on the bow: one ready to use, and one in reserve.
- For competitions and grading, keep three.
- A new string from the packet is not a spare yet. It needs its loops and its nakajikake first.
- A tsurumaki (string reel) is worth having once you carry a string with the nakajikake made.
- Restock when you drop below two, not when a string breaks. Overseas, allow for delivery time.
The All Nippon Kyudo Federation puts it plainly: strings should be expected to break, so always prepare a spare string, shoot a few arrows with it, and then keep it ready on a tsurumaki.
Why the number matters
A string is the consumable whose wear is hardest to see. Grip leather visibly wears down; giriko visibly runs out. A string looks much the same until the day it breaks. A furry, fraying patch around the nakajikake is a warning, but it is the day you miss that sign that it goes.
What makes it awkward is that replacing a broken string is more than just putting a new one on. You need:
- the spare string itself
- a nakajikake on it (the built-up section where the arrow’s nock sits), or the means to make one there and then
- thread to make the nakajikake (the Federation’s guide uses hemp)
- somewhere to string the bow, and a little time
So “I have a spare string” and “I have a spare string I can use straight away” are different things. Mix them up, and you can have a string in your bag and still not be able to shoot.
How many: three situations
1. Ordinary practice: two
One ready-to-use spare, plus one in reserve.
The ready one has its loops made and its nakajikake done, and is wound on a tsurumaki. With that, a broken string costs you a few minutes.
The reserve can stay in its packet. It is “the next one after you have used the ready one”. When you use the ready spare, make up the reserve at home and it becomes the new ready spare. Keep that habit and you never have to think about when to buy.
2. Competition and grading days: three
The extra one is not because strings break more often on those days. It is because you are not restringing in your usual place with your usual routine:
- The waiting area may be cramped and awkward for stringing.
- Your turn may be close, with no time to make a nakajikake calmly.
- You string it and the loop turns out to be the wrong size, so you have to do it again.
On those days, whether you have two ready-to-use strings can decide whether you make it in time.
3. Students and club members
A club may keep shared spare strings, but they will not necessarily suit your bow’s length or draw weight. Keep at least one of your own, matched to your own bow.
Matching the spare to the bow
Strings are made to the bow’s length. A string for a namisun bow will not fit a nobisun bow, and the other way round (see Kyudo Bow Length: Nami-sun vs Nobi-sun).
Thickness is also matched to the bow. Synthetic strings are sized by number (gō); hemp strings by weight in monme. Keep spares of the same type and size as the string you normally use. A different thickness changes how the nock fits, and you would need to rebuild the nakajikake to match. Change string type on the day of a match, and the feel of your shooting changes with it.
Hemp and synthetic strings are not interchangeable in any case; which a bow takes depends on how it was made. See Kyudo Bowstrings: Replace at 600 Shots.
A new string is not ready until you prepare it
This is the point most often missed. A string bought new cannot go straight onto the bow. It needs at least:
- its string loops (tsuruwa): many strings come with the lower loop already made, and the upper loop is made by the archer to fit their own bow (All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association, “弦について”; Suizan, “弦の選び方”; both checked 9 October 2026)
- its nakajikake, where the nock sits
Do both at home, while you are calm. That is what makes a spare “ready”. Trying to do it at the moment a string breaks, in a hurry and without all your materials, rarely goes well.
Two points from the Federation’s guide about the loops: a loop too small for the bow tip makes the string more likely to break, and one too large is unstable and bad for the bow. And adjusting the loop again and again weakens the string, so get it right once.
Shoot it in first. The Federation’s advice is to shoot a few arrows with a new spare before putting it away on the tsurumaki. A string that has never been shot can still change; you want to find that out in practice, not in a match.
Check the nock fit every time you put a spare on. The fit can change after a string has been stored, and the Federation notes that a nakajikake too thick or too thin for the nock makes a failed shot more likely. String the bow, fit an arrow, and only then shoot. If it is too tight or too loose, adjust it there and then.
Do you need a tsurumaki?
A tsurumaki (弦巻) is a reel that holds a spare string coiled, without folding it. A string folded tightly keeps that fold as a weak point. Pushed loose into a bag, it takes on kinks and catches on other equipment.
You need one if:
- you always carry at least one spare (most people)
- you carry a string with its nakajikake made; that section is easily crushed and would have to be redone
- you shoot in competitions or grading, where you want a string you can take out and use at once
It can wait if:
- your bow and spare strings live at the dojo
- your only spare is still in its packet, without a nakajikake
In that case, the first priority is not the reel. It is making one ready-to-use spare. Buy the container before the contents, and you have an empty reel.
What to look at when choosing one:
| Point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Diameter | Whether a string for your bow length coils onto it comfortably |
| Material | Wood, synthetic or leather; how it copes with being dropped |
| How the coil is held | Usually a cord or elastic. If it is loose, the string unwinds in the bag |
| Where it goes | Worn at the waist, or in the equipment bag. If worn, look at how it attaches |
When to restock
Not “when a string breaks” but “when I am down to fewer than two”.
Strings can take time to arrive. Wait until one breaks before getting more, and until the parcel comes you are shooting on a single string. If that one breaks too, you stop.
This matters even more if your strings come from Japan. International delivery takes longer and is less predictable than buying locally, so it is reasonable to keep one more than the numbers above.
Signals to restock:
- You are down to one spare. Restock now.
- You have used your ready spare. Decide on the replacement at that point.
- A competition or grading is on the calendar. Have three ready by then.
- You have moved to a stronger bow, or changed bows. Check that your spares still suit it before relying on them.
Buying several at once: many archers keep several strings of the same size. If you expect to move to a stronger bow soon, buy one or two at a time instead, because a change of size can leave your stock unusable.
What to keep in the bag (string-related only)
- A tsurumaki with a ready-to-use spare (loops and nakajikake done)
- A reserve string in its packet
- Thread for the nakajikake, in case you have to remake one on the spot
- Giriko. Not a string item, but after restringing you do not want your hand slipping on the glove. Giriko goes on the middle finger and is rubbed against the thumb; see Giriko (Rosin) for Kyudo.
FAQ
Must the spare be the same size as the string on the bow? For the same bow, yes, ideally. A different thickness changes the nakajikake and the nock fit. Spares should be “the same as usual”.
I keep my spare coiled with a rubber band. Fine for a short while, but over time the band can damage the string where it presses, and in the bag the nakajikake can be crushed. Once you carry a string with a nakajikake made, that is the time for a tsurumaki.
Should I throw away old strings before they break? You do not need to throw away a string you have replaced. But do not count it as a spare. A well-used string kept as a spare tends to break again when you need it. Keep it for makiwara practice and leave it out of the count.
How long can a prepared spare be kept? Keeping it is not usually the problem, but the nock fit can change with time. Rather than relying on a time limit, check the fit every time you put it on, and adjust if needed.
Related pages
- Kyudo Bowstrings: Replace at 600 Shots
- Kyudo Bow Length: Nami-sun vs Nobi-sun
- Giriko (Rosin) for Kyudo
- Kyudo Equipment Costs
This page sets out a general approach to keeping spare kyudo strings, drawing on the All Nippon Kyudo Federation’s guide to equipment, “道具について” (checked October 2026). String sizes, loop-making and nakajikake methods differ by string type and by teacher; follow your instructor. This site is an independent guide to kyudo equipment, and we can also order equipment from makers and shops in Japan for you and ship it abroad — see Ordering from overseas.