In 1980, Shibata Sensei came to the West to teach, on the invitation of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, renowned Tibetan meditation master. The enthusiasm Sensei witnessed in the students of Trungpa Rinpoche, and their non-competitive approach to kyudo, convinced Sensei to return to the United States for long visits.

Since that time, dojos have opened in a number of cities in the United States, Canada and Europe. All offer kyudo instruction according to the precepts of Master Kanjuro Shibata XX.