Kyudo archers who start looking after their own string soon meet the word kusune (くすね). You may have seen a senior member rubbing a hemp string with a small bundle of fibre that looks like a miniature straw sandal. That bundle is called a waraji, and what makes it work is kusune.
This page explains what kusune is for, when you actually need it, and how to choose between the summer, winter and all-season types and between tubes, tins and cases. It also covers one point where Japanese bow shops give opposite advice: whether kusune should go on your glove (yugake). Everything here is taken from the All Nippon Kyudo Federation, the All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association, and the product descriptions of two Japanese bow shops, Sambu and Suizan.
The short answer
- Kusune is used to strengthen the string and as an adhesive. Suizan Kyugu describes it as something “used to reinforce the string and as an adhesive” (Suizan, kusune in a tube).
- There are two main uses: looking after a hemp string (asa-zuru), by rubbing it with a waraji that has kusune worked into it, and making a nakajikake, where it acts as glue.
- If you shoot with a synthetic string, the use confirmed in official sources is making the nakajikake.
- Summer and winter types have their oil content adjusted for the season. Some products are labelled all-season.
- Shops disagree about using it on the yugake. Ask the maker of your glove, or your teacher, before you put anything on it.
What kusune does
On a hemp string: tightening the fibres and keeping them from fraying
A hemp bowstring (asa-zuru) is made by twisting fine hemp fibres together. In its article on how hemp strings are made, the All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association describes a step where a resin called yani is applied to the twisted string. The resin is made by boiling pine resin with castor oil, and its hardness is adjusted according to the season (All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association, “How hemp strings are made”).
The same association’s page on bowstrings says that applying kusune to hemp strings tightens the string, improves its durability and also improves how the arrow flies (All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association, “About bowstrings”).
Hemp strings get fuzzy with use. Suizan explains that as the fibres start to fray, you rub the string with a waraji that has kusune on it; the kusune gets in between the hemp fibres and strengthens them, so kusune is needed to keep the string as sound as possible (Suizan, kusune in a tube).
Hemp and synthetic strings also differ in how their thickness is labelled: synthetic strings use a number (gō), hemp strings use monme, a traditional unit of weight. If you are still deciding which kind of string to use, or how many spares to keep, see Spare bowstrings and the tsurumaki.
On the nakajikake: an adhesive
The nakajikake (中仕掛け) is the section of the string where the arrow is nocked. It is built up with a wrapping of hemp so that the nock of the arrow (hazu) sits firmly on it. The All Nippon Kyudo Federation describes how to make one in three steps (All Nippon Kyudo Federation, “About equipment”):
- Rub the string well with a magusune so that the kusune soaks into it.
- Use about 15 cm of hemp, and build the nakajikake starting 1 to 1.5 cm above the nocking point.
- Finish by tightening it firmly with a dōhō (道宝).
Two further points from the Federation and from Suizan are worth keeping in mind while you work. The nakajikake is made thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, like a rice-dumpling wrap, and a nocking point that sits too low relative to the grip can injure the thumb of your bow hand (yunde).
Suizan also calls kusune “an adhesive closely tied to kyudo equipment,” used when making a nakajikake or when winding rattan (tō) on a bow. Some archers once used it to wind the grip leather, but Suizan notes that fewer people do so now because synthetic adhesives have improved so much (Suizan, kusune in a tube).
If you are planning to make your own nakajikake, keep in mind that the Federation also warns about the string loops (tsuruwa): a loop that is too small makes the string more likely to break, one that is too large is unstable, and remaking loops again and again also makes breakage more likely. Before restringing, read Stringing a yumi.
What is a waraji (magusune)?
The word you will hear alongside kusune is waraji, literally “straw sandal,” because of its shape. Suizan explains the naming: it is written 麻ぐすね and read magusune; it is commonly called a waraji, and it becomes a magusune once kusune has been worked into it (Suizan, waraji (magusune)).
The key point is that a waraji on its own is useless. The same description says that a plain waraji is completely pointless, and that you must always put kusune on it.
Suizan’s instructions for using it are:
- Put kusune on the waraji before you use it.
- In cold weather, steam it first; the kusune soaks into the waraji more easily.
- Avoid putting on too much at once. Add it a little at a time, over several sessions. How much you need depends on the string and how often you shoot.
Sambu lists a plain magusune and a “hemp kusune with kusune already applied” as separate products. Both are described as being for hemp strings (Sambu, magusune / Sambu, hemp kusune with kusune applied).
Summer, winter and all-season
Suizan describes its tube kusune as a product whose oil content has been adjusted for the season, into summer and winter types. The Equipment Association’s article makes the same point from the string-maker’s side: the hardness of the resin is adjusted for the season. Because temperature changes how hard kusune is, the idea is simply to choose the type that matches the time of year.
If you would rather keep one product all year, Suizan also sells a case labelled all-season (Suizan, kusune in a case, all-season).
The shops’ descriptions stop at “adjusted for the season.” Neither page describes what happens if you use a summer type in winter, so if you are unsure, match the season or choose an all-season product.
Tube, tin or case: how each is used
The container changes how you get the kusune out.
| Container | What the shop says |
|---|---|
| Tube | If it is hard to squeeze out, warm it in hot water and it softens (Suizan). Sambu says to put the whole tube in hot water to soften it before use. |
| Tin | Melt it with a heated iron (kote); if the iron is not hot enough, it may not melt (Sambu). |
| Case | Use something like a spoon to put it on the waraji or leather before use (Suizan). |
Sambu also notes that in hot weather the contents of the tin may shift to one side (Sambu, kusune in a tin). Whenever you use hot water or a heated tool, take care not to burn yourself.
Price range (as of October 2026)
On the two shops’ official pages, checked again on 24 October 2026, tubes and tins of kusune were listed at 550 to 850 yen, and a plain waraji (magusune) at 1,210 to 1,430 yen, tax included (Sambu, kusune in a tube / Sambu, kusune in a tin / Suizan, waraji / Sambu, magusune). Prices change; check the shop’s own page before you order.
Can you put kusune on the yugake?
People who look this up usually want to know whether kusune belongs on the glove: on the tsurumakura (the groove that holds the string) or the tsurumichi (the path the string travels along the thumb). Here the two shops say opposite things, so both are given as they are.
- Sambu describes its tube and tin kusune as “for use on hemp strings and on the tsurumakura of the kake” (Sambu, kusune in a tube).
- Suizan says that Japanese wax (warō) is used on the tsurumichi of a yugake, and so it advises against kusune there (Suizan, kusune in a tube). For that purpose Suizan sells a separate tsurumichi wax made with wax from Ishikawa Prefecture, describes it as a wax made only for the yugake, and asks that it be used on nothing else (Suizan, tsurumichi wax).
A yugake is expensive, and the construction and finish of the leather vary from maker to maker. Before you choose what to put on it, ask the shop or craftsman who made it, or your teacher. Day-to-day care of the glove is covered in Yugake care and storage.
Do not confuse kusune with giriko. Giriko is a powder used on the right-hand glove: it goes on the middle finger (the ring finger on a four-finger yotsugake) and is rubbed against the thumb as a grip aid between the fingers. Kusune and wax are different materials for different jobs. See Giriko (rosin) for kyudo.
Who needs it, and when
| Your situation | What you need |
|---|---|
| Synthetic string; your club or a senior makes your nakajikake | Nothing yet |
| Synthetic string; you are starting to make your own nakajikake | Kusune for the season, hemp for the nakajikake, a dōhō |
| You are starting to use a hemp string | Kusune and a waraji (magusune); hemp and a dōhō as well if you also make your nakajikake |
| You want to look after the tsurumakura or tsurumichi of your glove | Ask the glove’s maker or your teacher before choosing anything |
Frequently asked questions
Is kusune the same thing as giriko? No. Kusune reinforces the string and works as an adhesive. Giriko is a powder used between the fingers of the right-hand glove.
If I buy a waraji, do I still need kusune? Yes, unless it comes with kusune already applied. A plain waraji needs kusune put on it before use; Suizan calls a plain waraji “completely pointless” on its own. Sambu sells a version with kusune already applied.
What is a dōhō? A tool for tightening the nakajikake. The Federation says to finish by tightening firmly with a dōhō. Sambu describes its wooden dōhō as used when making a nakajikake, with a surface that can be replaced (Sambu, dōhō).
Where can I buy kusune outside Japan? Ask the kyudo bow shop you already order from, or your teacher, who may know which shops in your country stock Japanese string supplies.
Summary
- Kusune is used to strengthen hemp strings and as an adhesive for the nakajikake and rattan winding.
- On hemp strings, you rub the string with a waraji (magusune) that has kusune on it. A waraji alone is useless.
- Summer and winter types are adjusted for the season; all-season products also exist.
- Tubes are softened in hot water, tins are melted with a heated tool, and case kusune is spooned onto the waraji or leather.
- On the glove, shops disagree (Sambu: for the tsurumakura; Suizan: use wax on the tsurumichi, not kusune). Ask the maker or your teacher first.
The uses, methods and prices on this page are based on the All Nippon Kyudo Federation’s “About equipment,” the All Japan Kyudo Equipment Association’s pages on hemp strings and bowstrings, and the official pages of Sambu Kyugu and Suizan Kyugu, checked in October 2026. They may change. If you are unsure how to handle your equipment, talk to your teacher or a kyudo bow shop.