A Dharma heir of the late Soen Nakagawa[1]—who is of no familial relation—Kyudo first became a Zen monk at age eight.

He undertook Buddhist studies at Japan's renowned Komazawa University and entered Gukei-ji.

[2] Then, at age thirty, Kyudo entered Ryūtaku-ji temple and trained under Soen Nakagawa.

In 1968 he moved to Jerusalem to lead a center Soen had opened in Israel called Kibutsu-ji, where he stayed on for thirteen years.

Kyudo then returned to Ryūtaku-ji briefly and moved to New York City, where he led the Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc.