Ordering a yumi from abroad means you cannot hold it first. The good news is that bow length is not a matter of taste — it follows from your draw length and your height. This page gives the table, and the two places where the table stops being enough.
Height, draw length, and bow length
| Archer’s height | Draw length | Recommended bow length |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 150 cm | Less than 85 cm | Sansun-tsumari (212 cm / 83.5″) |
| 150–165 cm | 85–90 cm | Namisun (221 cm / 87″) |
| 165–180 cm | 90–100 cm | Nisun-nobi (227 cm / 89.4″) |
| 180–195 cm | 100–105 cm | Yonsun-nobi (233 cm / 91.7″) |
| 195–205 cm | 105–110 cm | Rokusun-nobi (239 cm / 94″) |
| More than 205 cm | More than 110 cm | Hassun-nobi (245 cm / 96.5″) |
Namisun is the standard length; the -nobi sizes are the extended ones, named by how many sun longer they are. If you have seen the terms without numbers attached, this is what they mean.
Where the table is not enough
1. Height is a proxy, not the measurement. The column that actually decides is draw length. Two people of the same height can differ by several centimetres in draw because of arm length and shoulder structure. If you can be measured at a dojo before ordering, use the measured draw and read the table from the middle column instead of the left one.
2. A borderline height is a decision, not a rounding. At 165 cm or 180 cm you sit exactly on a boundary. Going one size up is the more common instinct, but a bow that is too long for your draw does not simply feel bigger — it changes what the bow does at release. This is a question for your instructor, not for a table.
Strength is a separate axis
Length and draw weight are chosen independently. Most beginners start with a pull of around 10–12 kg. Ordering a correct length with too much draw weight is one of the more common mistakes made at a distance, because strength is easy to overestimate on paper.
See Kyudo Bow Strength (Kyuryoku) for how to think about that number, and Bamboo or Synthetic Yumi for the material decision — which, for anyone with a shoulder or elbow history, should be settled before either number.
Measuring your draw length yourself
If there is no dojo near you, you can take the measurement at home with a helper. Japan’s All Nippon Kyudogu Association (the national association of kyudo equipment dealers) describes it this way: stand facing forward with your chest open, spread both arms out to the sides, level at shoulder height, and measure from the centre of your throat to the tip of your left middle finger (How to choose equipment, in Japanese). That length is your draw length (yazuka).
The same number sets your arrow length. The Association adds 10–15 cm to it. The All Nippon Kyudo Federation says to choose arrows at least 5 cm longer than your draw, and about 10 cm longer while your form is still settling. At the target, arrows shorter than your draw, or exactly your draw length, must not be used (About equipment, in Japanese).
Where Japanese sources draw the line
The table above moves to nisun-nobi at 165 cm. Japanese bow shops and makers put the line in slightly different places:
- All Nippon Kyudogu Association: namisun (221 cm) for a height of 170 cm or less, nobisun (nisun-nobi, 227 cm) for 170 cm or more. As a guide, a draw length of 90 cm or more points to nobisun.
- Miyakawa Kyugu (bow shop): the same 170 cm / 90 cm line, but with a glass or carbon bow, namisun can be fine even if your draw is a little longer (Bow kinds and how to choose).
- Yokoyama Reimei (bamboo bow maker): by draw length — up to 85 cm namisun, up to 90 cm nisun-nobi, up to 95 cm yonsun-nobi (FAQ, in Japanese).
If your height is between 165 and 170 cm, or your draw is between 85 and 90 cm, the sources disagree. That is the range where your instructor’s view should decide.
Before you order from overseas
- Get your draw length measured, not estimated from height, if there is any way to do so.
- Confirm the shipping length. A 245 cm bow is not a normal parcel, and courier limits — not price — are what usually blocks the order.
- Ask what happens if the size is wrong. Return shipping on a 2.2 m object can exceed the value of a first bow.
Sources. The height / draw length / bow length table and the 10–12 kg beginner draw weight: kyudo.com (Determining Proper Bow Length). Checked 2026-08-18. The self-measurement method, arrow length and the 170 cm line: All Nippon Kyudogu Association, All Nippon Kyudo Federation, Miyakawa Kyugu and Yokoyama Reimei. Checked 2026-10-06. We do not stock equipment, but we can order it from makers and shops in Japan for you — see Ordering from overseas. Where a measured draw length is available, it takes priority over height, and final choice should be confirmed with your instructor.