"Kyūdō" is based on ancient archery ("kyū-jutsu"). Archery in Japanese began in the Jōmon period; and it developed in the samurai or military class. At the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), the samurai lost their position because the Emperor Meiji replaced the Tokugawa family, the samurai, as a ruler of the nation. Therefore, all martial arts, including kyudo, declined. Before the Meiji Restoration, only the military class was allowed to do "Kyūdō". But after it, ordinally people could also do archery, so it spread outside the military class and it became an amusement. Now, All Japan Kyudo Federation plays a role in the promotion of kyudo as a sport.