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Nukitsuke

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Nukitsuke and nukiuchi are different. “Tsuke” means you are acting to forestall an opponent’s attack before it begins. Nukiuchi on the other hand means, precisely, to cut down an opponent. Without understanding the difference between these two, your swordsmanship will not be effective.*

  - Kamimoto Eiichi sensei, iaido hanshi 9 dan, kendo hanshi 8 dan

This short statement highlights and clarifies an important point about iai (particularly regarding Muso Shinden ryu, Muso Jikiden Eishin ryu and ZNKR iai). It is a simple linguistic point, but even if you speak Japanese it is easy to overlook.

Kamimoto sensei clearly states that nukitsuke is not merely the act of drawing the sword and cutting your adversary. Rather, it is the application (付ける) of the sword draw (抜く) to control an opponent. This is how nukitsuke differs from simply drawing the sword and striking.

In kendo, we aim to control the opponent rather than simply strike at him. It seems – logically – that the same concept is essential in iaido as well. According to Kamimoto sensei, this “forestalling” of an attack and the controlling of the opponent is part of what defines nukitsuke – the so-called “life of iai” (居合の生命). Therefore, it follows that an understanding of the distinction described above is vital for effective iaido.


* 「抜きつけと抜き打ちはちがう。〝つける”とは相手の機先を制すということですが、抜き打ちは相手を確実に殺傷することです。その差を知っていなければ刀は生きてこないものです。」

Source: 『居合道名人伝 上巻』  池田清代著 スキージャーナル刊 2007年


Thoughts on Tameshigiri from Famous Swordsmen

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Tameshigiri is a very popular element of swordsmanship today. This is perhaps thanks in part to the spread of Toyama-ryu, a system originally created in the 1920s to teach fundamental sword technique to officers in the Imperial Japanese Military. Tameshigiri forms a central part of training in Toyama-ryu and its derivatives, but traditionally, this form of target cutting was not a major element of most systems of swordsmanship.

The question of the pros and cons of tameshigiri for those of us studying swordsmanship today has been covered in a previous article by SangWooKim. In this article, I would instead like to look at the opinions on tameshigiri held by two of the most highly-regarded swordsmen of the modern period.

Takano Sasaburō (1862-1950) and Nakayama Hakudō (1872-1958) were two of the most important figures in the development of modern kendo (see this article for more information). Practitioners of both classical swordsmanship and the more modern forms of shinai keiko, their ways of thinking shaped the sword arts that we practise today. As such their opinions on kendo and swordsmanship in general are quite pertinent to those studying both modern and koryu arts. The following is a translation of their respective thoughts on tameshigiri.

Takano Sasaburo – Helmet Cutting

Takano Sasaburō

Cutting rolled up straw mats (巻藁, makiwara) is just like a silly game for children. It is of no importance. Tameshigiri in the past was done on iron helmets.

The men who demonstrated helmet cutting in front of the Meiji Emperor were Ueda Yoshitada (Umanosuke), Kajikawa Yoshimasa, Itsumi Sōsuke and Sakakibara Kenkichi. [Note: this event took place in 1886 and featured the use of sword, spear and bow against iron helmets. Kajikawa did not in fact take part.]

Sakakibara was quite meticulous, and had his student check the sword before he cut. Of all the participants, Sakakibara was the one who cut the deepest.

Suemonogiri (据物切, the cutting of placed objects) is rather difficult, so the helmet was stuffed with warm cooked rice, which also made the helmet warm. If there had been nothing inside the helmet, the sword would simply have broken. Steamed lees of bean curd can also be used for this purpose.

It is important to know the height of the object you are cutting. It is for this reason that now and then you hear of laymen being able to cut something when kendo teachers cannot. In times past, the height of the stand was set at three shaku (91cm). In any case, if the helmet is empty, upon cutting it will resound with a clang and the sword will snap.

It should also be noted that silk is very difficult to cut. If the silk is soaked in warm water, it becomes even more difficult to cut.

Nakayama Hakudo – Tameshigiri for Maturing One’s Iai

Nakayama Hakudō

Tameshigiri is something that should be done after many long years of iai training, once one has reached a certain level of licensed proficiency [允許 - traditionally, this is the level of license typically required for a student to open their own dojo.] Tameshigiri allows one to adapt the iai kata to real cutting practice. In other words, iai should be the core, and the application of the kata in tameshigiri should be secondary. However, today many people totally ignore the preservation of correct sword methodology and technique and merely cut things. As a result, tameshigiri has unfortunately come to be thought of as an independent practice. Thus, the most important points of sword technique, such as the three separate classifications of hasuji, are being forgotten. To put it another way, every kind of battō uses the sword blade in a different way. There is no absolutely fixed way of doing things. Even in a single kata, at first you may cut with the first two or three sun (寸, approx. 3.03cm) of the blade, then the second cut may be with the central portion of the blade. Understanding this distinction is essential.

Of course, the way the blade is used changes depending on the target and your distance from it. There are times when you must cut with the base of the blade, times when you must use the centre and times when you must use the tip. If sufficient consideration is not given to these points, the sword methodology will be incorrect. However iai today has mixed these points up and become very confused. Moreover, there is a lack of enthusiasm for serious study. Together these issues have caused tameshigiri to become merely the act of cutting, without altering one’s posture at all. Needless to say, simply cutting without preserving the procedure of adopting correct distance, the method of zanshin and the various cutting techniques of each kata is something completely removed from the traditional approach to tameshigiri.

I want you to be aware that tameshigiri in iaido is something that occurs at the very highest levels. Therefore in combination with normal iai kata training, I have incorporated mizugiri (水切り) – the practice of cutting standing water without raising a splash – into my standing iai kata. The last three or four sun of the blade are used to cut. The cut is made straight downwards, and not a single drop of water should be splashed up. The next kind of tameshigiri is yukizumi (雪積み), which trains horizontal cutting. For this, snow is packed tightly into a mound less than one shaku (30.3cm) in height, and then used as a target for nukiuchi practice with the central portion of the blade.

Nakayama Hakudo after performing waragiri

The next type is waragiri (藁切り), which uses stacked rolls of straw mats. Each mat should be between 5 and 7 sun (15.2-21.2cm) in thickness and at each level another mat should be added, up to a maximum of six mats. This type of tameshigiri can be included in standing kata, using the part of the blade between the centre and the tip. Depending on the ryuha and kata, the straw can be replaced with other objects such as bamboo, wooden planks, standing trees and living things [Note: here Nakayama uses the word 生物. It is unclear whether he is referring to plants or animals]. This form of cutting can therefore be adapted for use with many different kata.

After exploring this kind of cutting sufficiently, you can begin to practise the highest level of tameshigiri: usumonogiri (薄物切り, lit. the cutting of very thin material). For this, a single sheet of paper is placed on a wooden board. The aim of this technique is to cut the paper without leaving a scratch on the wood. This is the ultimate level of technique – a method of studying hand control and the ability to stop a cut. To perfect the ability to do this with a nukiuchi technique requires an almost unreachable level of skill. It is something close to the ideal way of cutting. I dare say that it is highly unlikely that anyone since Hayashizaki Jinsuke sensei has been able to perfect this technique. The documents of Hayashizaki-ryū make this clear.

In essence, all kata ultimately contain an element of cutting, and the practise of cutting in this way is called tameshigiri or tameshigatana (試し刀). This has a very different meaning to the tameshigiri practised today. Tameshigiri is meant to be done as an accompaniment to kata, not independently.

Taking waragiri as an example, even if you cut dozens of times in a row without pause, you should maintain perfect spacing for every cut, and preserve a layer of straw beneath each cut. You should cut through one or two rolls of straw without touching the roll beneath. When cutting horizontally you should be able to cut through a roll and back again without a single piece falling. Every cut you leave in the straw should be perpendicular and smooth. As another example, you should cut planks of wood perfectly horizontally or vertically regardless of how the grain runs.

Nakayama Hakudo demonstrating waragiri followed by tameshigiri as part of kata. Note: this video has been slowed down from the original film in an attempt to restore the true speed. The adjustment is approximate and not precise, but the result gives a much more realistic impression of how fast Nakayama sensei was actually moving.

In addition, there are many kinds of techniques that involve cutting bamboo hung from the ceiling by paper or thread without breaking the thread or tearing the paper, or cutting bamboo thrown in the air into three pieces. However these are a kind of trick; they are just cutting techniques, and cannot be called tameshigiri. In my opinion these do not serve any purpose. If you compare these tricks to real tameshigiri, there are so many levels of disconnect between them that there is no overlap in their purpose at all.

I have heard of some people who cannot perform these kinds of tricks, cannot do tameshigiri as part of kata, and cannot even perform iai correctly, but act as though they are masters with forty or fifty years of hard training under their belts, and filled with pride, perform public exhibitions of so-called tameshigiri. What truly pathetic people, as ignorant as frogs in a well [Note: “a frog in a well knows nothing of the wide ocean” is a well-known proverb in Japan.] It is true that I myself have done displays entitled ‘tameshigiri’ in front of the Emperor and at large taikai, but that was only because I was the most senior person there in terms of age. Inside, I felt quite embarrassed. Sometimes I could not stand the embarrassment and performed the display under the title of suemonogiri instead.

I have tried many different kinds of object cutting: kirikuzushi (切り崩し), kaeshigiri (返し切り), kirifuse (切り伏せ), kiriotoshi (切り落とし), kiritsume (切り詰め), gyakukaeshigiri (逆返し切り), ōjigiri (応じ切り), deawasegiri (出会わせ切り) and so on. However I have never succeeded in making a single satisfactory cut. Today when I practise dōshonibangiri (同所二番切り, lit. a second cut in the same place) – where a single cut is made halfway through the target, and a second cut is made in precisely the same place to cleanly complete the cut – it is only a poor imitation of the real thing. Thirteen of my direct students are hanshi, and thirty-six are kyōshi, but I have not once given them permission to do public displays of tameshigiri. Perhaps in the future there will be someone to whom I will grant permission, but currently [1956] there is no-one whom I can foresee earning it. The future of the practice looks quite bleak, almost hopeless in fact. I would like to earnestly request that my students partake of a deep and serious study of tameshigiri. I would also like those who are not my direct students to understand the practice, and make effort to progress in this area.

Sources:
『高野佐三郎 剣道遺稿集』 堂本昭彦(編) スキージャーナル刊 2007年
『中山博道剣 道口述集』 中山善道・稲村栄一(著)堂本昭彦(編) スキージャーナル刊 2007年

The Myth of Chiburi?

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In many iaido ryuha, chiburi is a fundamental part of kata. Chiburi, usually written 血振 in Japanese, literally means “shaking off blood,” and the image presented is that of flinging the blood of a defeated enemy off the blade with a deft movement before resheathing. Perhaps mainly due to the prevalence of Muso Shinden-ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, some people believe that chiburi is a universal aspect of iai. However, many ryuha do not practice chiburi, and there is the opinion – which has become more widespread recently, thanks to the sharing of knowledge via the internet – that shaking off blood in this way is in fact impossible. If this is the case, then what purpose does chiburi serve? Is it pointless? Why do some ryuha practice it? And was it really ever intended to remove blood from a blade?

Chiburi is a modern reading of a word that appears in the densho of Eishin-ryu as either 血振 or 血震. The original pronunciation is most likely chiburui, which is the reading you find if you look the word up in a Japanese dictionary such as Iwanami Shoten’s Kojien. In his book Koryu Iai no Hondo, the late Iwata Norikazu quotes another Eishin-ryu teacher, Morita Tadahiko, as being correct in his assertion that “chiburui” is the accurate term and that “chiburi” is in fact a mistaken reading (the word “chiburi” that appears in the dictionary actually refers a method of preparing fish). Iwata sensei also notes that both Oe Masamichi and his own teacher, Mori Shigeki, referred to the motion as “chiburui.” However, for the purposes of this article I will use the term “chiburi” as that is what most people are familiar with, and for better or worse it has become common parlance in most iai circles.

Most beginners learning iaido will be taught that the motion of chiburi is intended to fling the blood from the tip of the sword after cutting. In most books on iaido too, chiburi is described as serving this purpose. Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu and Muso Shinden-ryu also contain chinugui (wiping the blood from the blade with a cloth, paper or the fingers) in a small number of techniques in the first teaching level of Omori-ryu (Shoden/Seiza no bu). In Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu at least, this is technically done by putting one hand inside one’s hakama and using that to wipe the blade. In practice however, the shape is performed but the blade is not really wiped on the hakama. According to Mori Shigeki, this is because this because the oil used on swords in Oe sensei’s day would soil the clothes.

Despite more people becoming aware of it recently, the idea that chiburi isn’t really a practical method of removing blood from the blade is not recent – it has been expressed by teachers in Japan for a long time. Kono Hyakuren, 20th soke of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, wrote in his book Iaido Shintei:

“Chiburui: this takes the form of shaking blood off your sword and onto the ground. However in my experience, when cutting with a sword very little blood actually gets stuck to the blade. Nevertheless, placing emphasis on zanshin and spirit through the form of chiburui makes it a useful tool for development.”

Kono sensei was not alone in his understanding of chiburi primarily as a method of developing zanshin. Nakayama Hakudo wrote:

“In batto, chiburi is always performed in each kata before sheathing the sword. This motion cannot clean blood from the blade completely, but it should be thought of as a purifying action. The period between chiburi and noto is very important in battojutsu, as it is a manifestation of zanshin in the kata. Every school of iaido has a different set method of performing this action. A few peculiar methods are as follows:

“In Kanshin-ryu, a piece of paper kept inside the kimono (kaishi, 懐紙) is used to wipe the blade clean.

“In [Shindo] Munen-ryu, the sword is pointed downwards so the blood drips off the tip. The sword is then brought around in an arc to the left side of the body, thus flicking the blood off the blade.

“In Hazama-ryu, the sword is rested on the left shoulder, and the blood wiped off onto the shoulder.

“In Fuchishin-ryu, the sword is pinched between thumb and forefinger, which are drawn from the base of the blade to the tip to wipe off the blood.

“In Hayashizaki Hon-ryu, the sword is held in the right hand and first brought in a small motion to the left, then in a large motion to the right before sheathing.

“Other schools such as Omori-ryu, Kikusui-ryu, Kaishi-ryu, Tamiya-ryu, Shingan-ryu, Tetchu-ryu, Hasegawa-ryu and so on also all perform chiburi differently. In addition, there are schools that do not perform chiburi at all. Some schools will discard the saya behind them after drawing the sword, showing the determination of the swordsman as he instills his entire being into the sword. Discarding the saya expresses the swordsman’s preparedness to die in combat (sutemi, 捨身) – once the sword is drawn, it will not be returned to the sheath. In Kyoto, I saw a man perform this kind of chiburi under the title of ‘Takayama-ryu.’ However, I look upon this as an exception to the general rule.”

Tatsumi ryu does not perform chiburi, but brings the sword to chudan, expressing zanshin before noto.

Here Nakayama sensei asserts that while not all schools practice what we would today term chiburi, all seem to have an emphasis on zanshin before resheathing, which in many schools is manifested in the simulated or actual cleaning of the blade. Schools of iai that perform chiburi largely seem to be from the Hayashizaki family of ryuha, such as Tamiya-ryu, Mugai-ryu, Suio-ryu and Shinmuso Hayashizaki-ryu. In schools that are not descended from Hayashizaki we often find other forms of cleaning the blade. A form that does not seem to appear in Hayashizaki-derived schools is kaiten chiburi, where the sword is spun in the hand and the tsuka struck. This can be seen in venerable ryuha such as Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, Kashima Shinto-ryu and some lines of Takenouchi-ryu. Other non-Hayashizaki schools, such as Seigo-ryu/Shinkage-ryu, Hoki-ryu, Sosuishi-ryu, Tatsumi-ryu and so on may completely omit chiburi, opting instead for chinugui or, to an outside observer such as myself, apparently nothing at all. Of course third-party observation can only take us so far – for example, discussions with an experienced practitioner of Hoki-ryu revealed that while the school may seem not to have any blade-cleaning portions of its kata, chinugui motions are actually concealed in the noto itself. Despite the numerous differences between ryuha, however, I have yet to encounter a school that does not display clear zanshin – whether expressed during the act of cleaning the sword or otherwise – before sheathing the weapon.

It should also be noted that in the quotation above, Nakayama Hakudo uses the word chiburi to refer to methods of cleaning that technically fall under chinugui, and even terms the act of discarding the saya in Takayama-ryu a kind of chiburi (albeit a rare and unusual one). This suggests that perhaps chiburi has in the past been used as something of a blanket term covering all kinds of sword cleaning, ritual purification or other acts expressing zanshin prior to resheathing. If so, this may have contributed to the myth of chiburi being ubiquitous.

To return to the ryuha with which I am a little more familiar, I would like to examine chiburi in Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu and Muso Shinden-ryu. In these very closely-related schools, chiburi takes two basic forms (with some variations). The first type that students will encounter is the signature chiburi of Omori-ryu. This is commonly referred to as o-chiburi (大血振), meaning ‘large chiburi,’ and is performed by bringing the sword’s tsuka to the right temple and swinging the tip in an arc as if cutting down the migi kesa line. Depending on the teacher, the exact path of the blade and the point where it finishes its swing varies, but fundamentally the motion is the same. The other form of chiburi is commonly called yoko-chiburi (横血振) or kochiburi (小血振), and is done by moving the sword to one’s right with the blade parallel to the floor, edge pointing to the right. This motion is usually done sharply, although again it does depend on teacher and lineage. Despite a sharpness of motion however, it should be apparent that yoko-chiburi is not practical for removing blood. O-chiburi, according to the quotations above, is also impractical; but it is less of a stretch to imagine it working to some extent. Yoko-chiburi on the other hand is quite clearly never going to remove blood from the blade.

Masaoka sensei

So why is this motion called chiburi? The truth is that the large swing done in Omori-ryu has been called chiburi for a considerable length of time. Consulting the Omori-ryu sections of Edo-period densho from both Shimomura-ha and Tanimura-ha Eishin-ryu proves this. However when we move on to Hasegawa Eishin-ryu (Chuden and Okuiai) itself, the word suddenly vanishes from the densho. In descriptions of both Omori-ryu (where it appears twice) and Hasegawa Eishin-ryu (where it appears in every waza), what is commonly referred to today as yoko-chiburi is called “opening” (開き) or “opening to the right” (右に開き). It is not once referred to as chiburi. The idea of this motion as “shaking blood off the blade” may have originated later, perhaps as a conflation of the two. Masaoka Katsutane, 18th generation Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Kongen no Maki (Menkyo Kaiden), wrote about this in his book Muso Jikiden Eishin ryu Iaiheiho Chi no Maki:

“In Omori-ryu, before noto chiburi is performed in the form of a large sweep of the sword from over the head. In Eishin-ryu however, before noto you ‘open to the right,’ as in the Omori-ryu waza Yaegaki.

“This ‘opening the right’ has today come to be referred to as a ‘small chiburi.’ One day after the war I was teaching iai to children in Kochi when one child asked, in the direct way children do: ‘sensei, would that really shake the blood off the blade?’ I thought about it a great deal, and re-read all the densho I had in my possession, and found that nowhere in any densho is this motion referred to as chiburi. Instead it is called ‘opening to the right.’ Therefore I came to the conclusion that Omori-ryu chiburi is a combination of shaking blood from the blade, expressing zanshin and preparing for noto, and from Eishin-ryu onwards the motion is for zanshin and noto preparation only.”

Further examination of the surviving pre-modern densho of Tosa Eishin ryu reveals that while there is a distinct lack of references to chiburi, there are some parts in high level documents that describe special methods for quickly cleaning a sword when it needs to be resheathed swiftly. Significantly, these methods are variants of chinugui. This stands out in contrast against the form taken in kata, where in almost all cases the sword is immediately returned to the saya following chiburi or “opening to the right.” Chinugui, as mentioned above, is seen by many as a practical way of cleaning the sword, and it seems that practitioners of Eishin-ryu in the Edo period were under no illusions otherwise. It is quite plausible that in Eishin-ryu chinugui was advocated for blade cleaning in real situations, but was simply omitted from the majority of kata. The major cultural shift away from carrying swords in everyday life, and the subsequent change to the modern structure and teaching approaches of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu and Muso Shinden-ryu could easily have led to this knowledge becoming lost to most practitioners.

Looking at this evidence, we can conclude that what we today term chiburi was probably not originally intended to be a practical cleaning method. As the sensei I have quoted from above all seem to agree, it is far more likely that the form of chiburi that appears in most iai waza was developed in order to cultivate zanshin. This is also supported by available historical evidence. In some cases perhaps chiburi is also a kind of ceremonial purification, or perhaps it also acts as a placeholder for chinugui in the context of formal waza. This is of course not a surprising conclusion – I am sure most people realise this already. However I hope that by providing some historical context, we can come a little closer to understanding the true purpose behind the actions we are learning.

Sources:
『古流居合の本道』 岩田憲一著 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2002年
『居合道真諦』 河野百錬著 1962年
『中山博道剣道口述集』 中山博道著 堂本昭彦編 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2007年
『無雙直傳英信流居合兵法地之巻』 政岡壹實著 無双直伝英信流居合兵法大江派湖刀会本部発行 1974年

The Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections Pt. 1

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The importance of the Ittō-ryū school of kenjutsu in the history and development of kendo cannot be overstated. Generations of the most influential kendoka from the Bakumatsu to the early Showa eras (mid 19th-early 20th century) were students of this school. Much of modern kendo can find its origins in the teachings of Ittō-ryū.

The man who had perhaps the strongest influence on the formation of kendo, Takano Sasaburō, was an Ittō-ryū swordsman. The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書) was written by Sasaburō’s grandfather, Takano Mitsumasa, and is a record of the teachings of Mitsumasa’s Ittō-ryū instructor, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa. Nakanishi Tanemasa was the head of the Nakanishi line of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū (today known as Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū) and taught a number of students who went on to become very famous in their own right, including Chiba Shūsaku (founder of Hokushin Ittō-ryū) and Asari Matashichirō Yoshinobu, whose successor taught Yamaoka Tesshū.

Takano Mitsumasa

The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections was written in the 19th century and was edited and published by Takano Sasaburo in the early 20th. As far as I am aware, this is the first ever English translation of the work to be published. Needless to say, this was not an easy piece to translate. The language used is archaic and often vague, and the text contains many references to inner teachings, densho, classical literature, folklore, and Buddhist and Confucian philosophy. As such, this translation very likely contains some errors. Any errors that do come to light after publication will be corrected in due course.

This translation project was initiated by Tsujimura Yosuke sensei, who wanted to make the work available to a wider audience. Some sections of this first instalment were originally translated by kenshi247.net contributor Leiv Harstad, and I have largely retained his work, as I failed to see how I could improve on it. As a number of people have put a lot of time and effort into this translation, I hope that people will respect that fact by linking to the original article on kenshi247.net rather than copying and pasting wholesale.

Finally, it should be noted that the original work is very much aimed at students of Ittō-ryū, and as such some parts may initially seem quite alien to modern kendo practitioners. However, I believe that this oft-overlooked treatise on classical swordsmanship is just as relevant to kendoka, and probably more so, than famous and widely-read works like Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. I hope you agree.

The Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections

Foreword

The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書) was written by my grandfather, Takano Mitsumasa. It records things said by his distinguished teacher of Ittō-ryū swordsmanship, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa, while my grandfather was studying under his tutelage.

The book covers all areas of teaching, is very detailed, and contains many useful sections, but parts of it are repetitions of earlier sections or are incomprehensible to non-Ittō-ryū students. For this reason I have chosen to exclude sections that are out of line with today’s modern way of life, and publish only selected extracts.

- Takano Sasaburō

The sequence of training

You should train sword techniques obediently and sincerely, with no stiffness in the body or limbs.

In shiai [sparring with shinai], the body and hands should be kept relaxed and free from tension. In kata [using bokutō], you should pay close attention to the techniques, feeling and maai.

Moreover, after training in this way, practise with habiki [blunt blades] should be conducted as though you are engaged in combat using a sharp sword.

If you do not strictly train the body and harden the mind, then you will not be able to reach the level where you can train freely with habiki. Training with habiki is only one step away from a fight with real swords, so this training must be taken very seriously.

Maai

In your everyday practice, you should pay close attention to maai. Even when you have no opponent, you have maai. Although maai is of course affected by the length of your sword, it does not depend solely upon it.

Maai may be difficult to understand, but it is simply one’s own kamae. It is the distance from within which you can successfully strike and thrust.

When ippon-shōbu takes a long time, it is because combatants are taking care to establish correct maai without rashly entering their opponent’s striking range.

Maai with real swords

If you were to use a shinai of 2 shaku 3 sun 5 bu*, it would feel short for a shinai.

A bokutō of the above standard length feels longer than a shinai of the same length. Furthermore, if you use a habiki of this length, it will once again seem longer than the bokutō.

You should be aware of this when studying maai with a shinken.

* The same length as a standard Ittō-ryū bokutō (not including the tsuka) – approx. 71.2cm. The length of a adult’s modern kendo shinai is 3 shaku 9 sun (including the tsuka).

Ittō-ryū bokutō and shinai cut to the same length

How to act as uchidachi

When practising with a partner of greater skill, you should make it appear as if you are avoiding making contact, but in reality strike with full intent.

When practising with a partner of lesser skill, you should act as if you are really trying to strike them, whilst in fact you are avoiding making contact.

Various technical points

When the opponent steps forward with their right foot and cuts, you can strike them by moving to the right and cutting them from that side.

When facing an opponent who strikes powerfully, you should attack them first.

Proper use of the sword tip to pressure your opponent is good for your own training. However, it can be very unpleasant for your training partners.

If the opponent makes a shallow cut at your hands [i.e. with a short step in], your counter should be to evade by stepping back. This is because stepping back is a shallow [i.e. short range] motion.

If the opponent makes a deep cut [i.e. with a long step in], you should counter with kiriotoshi.* In this case, even if you try to evade, the opponent’s attack will still connect. Therefore, kiriotoshi should be used.

In shiai, even if your mind and sword are both correct, you may still be struck by the opponent. When the opponent initiates an attack, if you try too hard to utilise your own sword, it will stray to the side and the opponent can use this opportunity to successfully strike. This should be studied deeply.

While you are facing off against an opponent and applying pressure, it is bad to impatiently attack openings as soon as they present themselves. You should be patient, and keep firm pressure on the opponent, forcing them into making an attack. If you initiate an attack, you open yourself up to a strike from the opponent.

When your opponent is acting in a limp and unresponsive manner, if you adopt a similar facade without allowing your mind to become dull and languid, your opponent’s resolve will weaken. During a long bout, you should make your mind increasingly intense and focused. Then, while matching your actions with the opponent, you should keenly apply pressure with the sword tip.

* Kiriotoshi is the core principle that underpins Ittō-ryū technique, strategy and philosophy. It is a method of cutting ‘through’ an opponent’s strike, rendering it ineffective whilst delivering a strike of one’s own. Ittō-ryū’s kiriotoshi is different to what is commonly referred to as kiriotoshi in kendo today.

Avoid defensiveness

It is vital to look at the opponent as though you are trying to kill him with your glare. However, this does not mean looking at him with forceful eyes. Rather, you should brace your abdomen with a grunt, filling it with power.

The essential point is to communicate to the opponent that you have power in your abdomen with this grunt. Shouting at the opponent just means you will receive an attack. To merely hold your ground is to go on the defensive, and should be avoided.

Kakegoe

In shiai, kakegoe is used to indicate that you have found an opening to strike or thrust and are attacking it. Kakegoe should not be used to try and draw an opponent out; rather, it ought to be used when you have spotted an opening to strike or thrust. Simply shouting at your opponent is disrespectful and should be avoided.

Taiatari

During shiai, when you receive taiatari from your opponent, put power into your hips and make your body light, like a piece of floating driftwood. Remain flexible so that you can smoothly deflect your opponent to the left or right, diverting the force of their taiatari.

Regardless of if your opponent is large or powerful, you must not be in the least afraid of him. You must always believe you can best him.

Also, if attempting to knock your opponent down or get him under your control, you must remain calm and maintain the feeling that you can do as you please, whilst at the same time not letting your opponent feel that he can act freely.

Points of victory

Most people think only of cutting an opponent with their sword, and are completely ignorant of how to actually win in a duel. They are focused only on cutting the enemy.

It is dangerous to think only of cutting the opponent, while remaining oblivious of winning strategies such as controlling the opponent’s sword with harikomi [entering by slapping], osae [pressing] or makikomi [entering by winding]. After studying these points thoroughly, you will be able to attain victory.

There is an Ittō-ryū teaching*:

Do not think merely of striking the enemy
Protect yourself and openings will naturally appear
Like shafts of moonlight through a hovel’s tattered roof

*This teaching is a poem attributed to Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa, the founder of Ittō-ryū.

Strike large, counter small

During training, it is said that when striking, you should make a large strike, and when stopping an enemy’s strike, you must do so with a modest movement. If you do not, then when involved in a fight with live blades, anxiousness will naturally make your attacks smaller, and your movements to counter the strikes of your opponent will be too large.

Controlling your opponent with feeling

In shiai, if you utilise your sword tip freely, the opponent will unable to tolerate it. They will feel like they cannot act freely, and will feel very uncomfortable.

If you suppress your opponent with feeling in this way, and give them a little leeway in which to retreat, they will feel utterly powerless and will yield.

Respiration rhythm

Respiration rhythm [kokyū – this indicates a relationship between the respiration of both participants] is something you can come to understand through shiai.
When you strongly apply pressure from gedan your opponent will think you are going to thrust. If you then deliberately hold back, in the opponent’s ensuing moment of doubt you have an opening in which you can make a real thrust. This is the point of respiration rhythm.

Tanemasa sensei said:
“Watch a child sleeping. Think about how they are breathing, and how you are breathing. If your breath out does not match when the child is breathing in, you are not controlling the point of respiration.”

Don’t make others come to you

In your training, you should deliberately practise with difficult opponents. You should go to these people and request to do keiko with them. If you allow them to ask first, you may feel unable to do keiko with them, and wish you could postpone it until a later date. This will lend your opponent extra confidence and vigour, and you will end up feeling completely overwhelmed.

In your training, you should not try to make other people come to you. Even if you do not know anything about your opponent’s condition or technique, you should request to do keiko with them first.

Click here for part two.

Sources and further reading:

『剣道』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 島津書房発行 1982 ( 1915)
『兵法一刀流』 高野弘正〈著〉 講談社発行 1985
『一刀流極意』 笹森順造〈著〉 礼楽堂発行 1986 (1965)
『剣禅話』 山岡鉄舟〈著〉 高野登〈編訳〉 徳間書店発行 1971
『高野佐三郎 剣道遺稿集』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 堂本昭彦〈編〉 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2007 (1989)
『剣道の発達』 下川潮〈著〉 梓川書房発行 1976 (1925)
『日本剣道史』 山田次郎吉〈著〉 一橋剣友会発行 1976 (1925)
『剣道五百年史』 富永堅吾〈著〉 百泉書房発行 1971
『増補大改訂 武芸流派大事典』 綿谷雪、山田忠史〈著〉 株式会社東京コピー出版部発行 1978

The Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections Pt. 2

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In part one of this series, I presented the first installment of a translation of The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). This text was written in the 19th century by Takano Mitsumasa, based on the teachings of his kenjutsu sensei, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa. Nakanishi Tanemasa was a hugely influential teacher, whose line of Ittō-ryū is credited with the innovation of shinai and bogu training that led to the development of kendo. Mitsumasa’s grandson Sasaburō, who edited and published this work in Japanese, was instrumental in codifying much of modern kendo and its pedagogy. Despite the huge historical significance of this work, it is not widely known of even within Japan, and to my knowledge, this is the first ever English translation to be published.

Part two continues below.

The two metsuke

When facing an opponent in shiai, the two metsuke* are as follows. For opponents in jōdan, you should watch the point from which they raise and lower their weapon [i.e. the hands]. Opponents in seigan will raise and lower their kissaki, attempting to hide their intent. When they are going to strike, they will raise the kissaki, and when they are going to thrust, they will lower it. Observing the kissaki, you should watch for when the opponent moves the sword in a real attack**. In this way, the truth will make itself known to you.

*‘Two Metsuke’ (futatsu no metsuke no koto, 二之目付之事) is an important teaching in Ittō-ryū and is the first recorded in the Jūnikajō Mokuroku (the first document of transmission issued to students of Ittō-ryū). On a basic level, it teaches that students should watch the hands and kissaki of the opponent. What is described above is one application of the concept. Takano Sasaburō’s own writings contain the same teaching – to look at the hands in jōdan, and at the kissaki in chūdan or gedan.

**Jitsu (実) in Japanese, meaning literally “truth.” Its counterpart is kyo (虚), “falsehood.” The ability to discern between these two is the ability to read the intentions of one’s opponent.

Extract from a Hokushin Itto-ryu document explaining the teaching ‘Two Metsuke’

Do not rely on spirit alone

The Kanaji Mokuroku* contains the line: “do not favour jōdan if you lack ability.” This means that if you attempt to use confidence and a strong spirit to overcome a lack of sufficient training in a technique, you will not be successful.

* The second of the major documents of transmission in Ittō-ryū.

Strong and weak points

Observe your sword and the opponent’s sword as a single entity, and pay attention to the strong points and weak points. Observing thus, you should put pressure on the weak point of the opponent’s sword using the strong point of your own weapon.

Sticking to the opponent

When sticking to your opponent* you should see them as being like sticky boiled rice, and be without stickiness yourself. When you are engaged with the opponent’s stickiness and attack naturally, even if you match with the opponent exactly, you will have points where you are stuck to the opponent and where you are not. This should be studied carefully.

* In Ittō-ryū, ‘sticking’ to the opponent’s sword is often referred to as sokui-tsuke. In some ways, this is similar in concept to tsubazeriai in kendo. However the position typically taken in Ittō-ryū is further out, vying for control of the centre with your sword ‘stuck to’ the opponent’s. There are a number of ways of writing sokui-tsuke but here the characters used are those for “quickly [prepared] rice.” More precisely, ‘sokui’ usually refers to rice that is boiled and then mashed to form a thick glutinous paste.

The three methods – so, gyo and shin

The three methods are as follows.* With you convey to the opponent, “that does not bother me, that is no good,” smother his attack and defeat him. With gyō you immediately show the opponent, “that is no good,” confront him aggressively and defeat him. With shin you immediately strike down the opponent.

*The “three methods” (note: this term appears in the English translation for clarity’s sake; the original text simply reads, “methods”) are known as (草), gyō (行) and shin (真) in Ittō-ryū and correspond to gosen no sen, senzen no sen and sensen no sen** respectively. , gyō and shin have a much broader meaning than this in Ittō-ryū: in this case, however, they appear to refer to these three timings. The terms are originally taken from calligraphy, where shin denotes standard, precise characters (kaishotai), gyō denotes slightly looser, freer characters (gyōshotai) and denotes flowing script where the form of the characters is very free (sōshotai).

** These methods have different names in different schools of swordsmanship. Here they are defined as follows:
– Gosen no sen: you allow the opponent to move and then counter his attack.
– Senzen no sen: you strike in the instant the opponent begins his attack.
– Sensen no sen: you strike in the instant that the opponent thinks to attack, but before he can move.

Swordsmanship and aging

If older swordsmen try to compete with younger opponents and make large attacks, their posture and grip will fail. This looks very poor. You should not care about being struck, and fence your opponent using correct technique. If you do not conceal physical frailties in this way, others will take notice and your status will suffer.

Older people may exert pressure with their sword tip but find their opponent’s mood and spirit does not become tense. In this case you should make an opening with a technique and thrust, strike men, or strike the left or right kote. In other words you should be able to adapt according to the opponent.

As you age, you will stop competing as much, and simply pay attention to surikomi [entering by sliding in], harikomi [entering by slapping] and uchikomi [entering with a strike], becoming acquainted with what you can and can’t do and only using the techniques you are capable with. This leads to areas of excess and deficiency.

At the age of sixty-two I competed in a shiai. Somehow, my younger opponent managed to knock me over with a thrust. Some people said that this was dangerous and that I should have been more cautious. While they may not find themselves knocked over with thrusts as I was, these types of people will be hit with strikes and thrusts at trifling moments. This is a ridiculous attitude which proves they know nothing about fighting with a sword.

Various teaching points

When working to raise the level of beginners, you should not worry about their footwork and so on, but teach them about the correct position of the sword, the correct method of kiriotoshi and so on, so they can smoothly and effectively perform these techniques. If you try to correct their footwork and body movement, they will pay too much attention to this. It will make them have a tension in their chest and be unable to use their hands smoothly. If you teach them to move their hands smoothly their footwork and body movement will naturally become smooth too.

There is a saying: a one-eyed monkey laughs at a monkey that sees clearly. A teacher who sees things in an unbalanced way will raise his students with the same biases, even though they may come to him without biases of their own.*

If your frame of mind is corrected, your physical posture will become correct also. If your physical posture becomes correct, the way you use your sword will become correct also.

People with the habit of raising their sword tip should correct their footwork and their sword tip will naturally lower.

People with stiff shoulders should correct their footwork and their shoulders will naturally become less tense.

People who become excessively fixated on observing the opponent’s state should correct their use of the sword tip, and their observation of the opponent will naturally become correct.

*Takano Sasaburō explains this concept in terms of a one-eyed monkey whose children have two eyes, but who keep one closed out of sympathy for their parent.

The vital point

People who are overly worried or concerned about a certain element of swordsmanship should stop thinking about that point in particular, and look to correct the basics underpinning that element.

A folding fan* is the same – the pin that holds the fan together is vital, and must reach through all the spines to secure them. This is why the pin of a fan is known as “the essential point.”**

*In Japanese, a folding fan (ōgi, 扇) is pronounced in the same way as ‘highest/secret teaching’ (ōgi, 奥義) – this metaphor is likely a play on words to indicate that the basics underpin everything, even the highest teachings.

**The word for the pin of a folding fan (kaname, 要) is also used to refer ‘the essential point’ of something. It is written with the character for ‘necessary.’

Act according to your opponent

If you are stronger, act weaker. If you are weaker, act stronger. This means that if your opponent is more skilled than you are, you should strike at them strongly and aggressively. If your opponent is less skilled than you are, you should allow them to strike at you.

The process of teaching

In swordsmanship, the process of teaching is as follows: first, teach students to relax and lose tension; when in the middle of their training, subject them to many hardships; finally, foster in them a courageous spirit.

Beginners should be taught to strictly adhere to the correct kamae for the start of a kata (be it gedan or seigan), the correct kamae for the end of a kata (be it gedan or jōdan), and the points where the kata begins and ends.

Meanwhile, although it is the most important part, the point of attaining victory should at first be ignored. Beginners should be made to focus strictly on the start and end of the kata. If from the start they are fixated only on the point of victory they will acquire bad habits.

To use an example, if an inexperienced person constructs a box, prepares tobacco or a makes a plate, even if they are very skilled, an expert will still be able to tell that it was made by an amateur.

Natural skill and correct methodology

In swordsmanship, including the swordsmanship popular today*, even if a novice has a lot of natural skill, they will not act in accordance with the correct methods of swordsmanship. They will therefore not be able to handle a real sword effectively.

* Possibly a reference to the spread in shinai competition.

Striking and cutting

When a senior practitioner cuts the opening in an opponent’s kamae with a blade, we call this cut a ‘strike.’ Today, people do not understand the meaning of this and try to imitate the cutting motion of a sword. This is of no use and does not aid in training.

Controlling the pace

When learning to play the flute, at first the calmer elements are taught. Later, the faster-paced elements are progressively introduced. Contrary to what one might expect, the timing of the calmer and more leisurely-paced elements is more difficult. In swordsmanship too, at first students should be made to engage at a comfortable pace. When using a real sword anyone will be able to strike instantly and decisively if they have learned to act without apprehension or delay.

Teacher and student

A teacher should know how to look at what a person is doing, thus grasp their mood, physical condition, method of striking with the sword, level of training, use of tenouchi and so on, and be able to correct the appropriate elements.

Regardless of how naturally skilled or unskilled someone is, and even if they fight very crudely, they may still be able to attain victory. Even if someone looks bad when training or if teaching them is extremely difficult, you should begin by carefully instilling in them the essential points of victory for a real sword fight.

If you learn from someone who is fundamentally bad, your development will be affected and you are likely to acquire bad habits.

On sparring with shinai

Since long ago, it has been stipulated in the kishōmon* that a student must be granted permission before they may participate in sparring using shinai. These days there is a trend for teachers to give all their students permission to participate in shinai training, and many in fact think that experience in shinai bouts is advantageous in a fight. However when I see students doing shinai practice, they look to me just like rank amateurs hacking away at each other. They do not show a desire to learn, and merely act according to their own whims.

In addition, the kishōmon of course absolutely forbids practicing with shinai in secret away from the dojo. However, many people commit this indiscretion. This current state of affairs calls for even more prudence by students.

*A kishōmon (起請文) is a written oath to adhere to the rules of a traditional school, signed by a student upon admission – in this case, the school in question is Ittō-ryū. This oath usually carries the penalty of celestial punishment from various deities for disobeying the rules.

Continued in part three.

Sources and further reading:

『剣道』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 島津書房発行 1982 ( 1915)
『兵法一刀流』 高野弘正〈著〉 講談社発行 1985
『一刀流極意』 笹森順造〈著〉 礼楽堂発行 1986 (1965)
『剣禅話』 山岡鉄舟〈著〉 高野登〈編訳〉 徳間書店発行 1971
『高野佐三郎 剣道遺稿集』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 堂本昭彦〈編〉 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2007 (1989)
『剣道の発達』 下川潮〈著〉 梓川書房発行 1976 (1925)
『日本剣道史』 山田次郎吉〈著〉 一橋剣友会発行 1976 (1925)
『剣道五百年史』 富永堅吾〈著〉 百泉書房発行 1971
『増補大改訂 武芸流派大事典』 綿谷雪、山田忠史〈著〉 株式会社東京コピー出版部発行 1978

The Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections Pt. 3

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This series of articles presents what I believe to be the first-ever English translation of The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). This 19th-century work is based on the teachings of one of the most important teachers of swordsmanship in Japanese history, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa, whose lineage shaped kendo as we know it. Despite its age, the text is still highly relevant to students of Japanese swordsmanship today.

If you haven’t already, please read part one and part two of this series first. Part three continues below.

Embracing death

If participating in a fight with real swords, you must go into it with the conviction that you will be killed. If you can do this you will be able to act decisively and remain physically strong. If you do not think that you will be killed, you will not be able to attain victory. This is a point of profound significance.

In a fight with real swords, you cannot prevail if you do not have a firm knowledge of the duality of life and death. For example, when the day is over night will fall. When night is over it always becomes light again.* When your life reaches its limit, you will meet death. Likewise, when the threat of death is exhausted, you will surely live.

There is an Ittō-ryū teaching:

Like a horse chestnut husk carried on the mountain river’s rapids
Discard your body and float upon the current**

* Here “day” and “night” are described with yin (in, 陰) and yang (, 陽), which indicates a much broader meaning incorporating negative and positive, west and east, passiveness and activeness and so on. Yin and yang are used to express many important concepts in Ittō-ryū, as well as in other schools of Japanese swordsmanship.

** This poem is a major teaching of Ittō-ryū. The key phrase “mi wo tsutete” literally means ‘discarding one’s body.’ This means to commit fully to an attack with a preparedness to die in the attempt. The same idea is commonly referred to as sutemi (捨て身) in modern kendo. In the poem, this line is a play on words. The horse chestnut husk has discarded its seed (mi, 実 in Japanese) and has become light, floating on the water. The swordsman who discards his body (also pronounced mi, 身 in Japanese) and is prepared to die in a fight will in fact be more likely to prevail in an encounter.

Facing the opponent

When your sword tip is not touching that of your opponent (i.e. you are too far away) you cannot cut him. A bout will be decided when the point of each sword has passed the other by 5 sun (approx. 15cm).

A cultured man [i.e. a samurai] who is determined to kill his opponent will approach them directly, facing them squarely. A person of lower class will approach his enemy diagonally, in a hanmi stance. Even if you are a member of the warrior class, sidling up to an opponent indirectly makes you no better than a boorish peasant.

If you try to raise your spirit above that of an opponent whose spirit is higher than yours, you will not be successful. If you try to lower your spirit beneath that of an opponent who is operating lower than you, your actions will become crude and lose substance. Instead, you must stay in the very centre, the ‘true centre,’ and never stray from it. The ‘true centre’ means you act so as not to lose*, without excess or deficiency in any area. If you simply carry out your daily training in this way, when you have to fight for real, simply act so as not to lose, and you will naturally be able to utilise the teachings Shinken and Dokumyoken.* If you stray from the true centre, then you will not be able to make use of these teachings.

* This is an ideal of swordsmanship in Ittō-ryū.

** Shinken and Dokumyōken are two of the highest teachings of Ittō-ryū. They are part of the Kōjō Gokui Goten, a set of kata which are said to originally come from Chūjō-ryū (via Toda Seigen and his student Kanemaki Jisai, who subsequently taught them to Itō Ittōsai).

True victory

True victory means to be sincere and act according to your true feelings. If, no matter what occurs, you remain unshaken and maintain a clear and composed sense of dignity, you will be able to grasp victory. The feeling you should have is that described by the Buddha: “throughout heaven and earth, I alone am holy.”*

When inquiring of your sensei, if you ask with the feeling described above, you will receive an equally direct and sincere answer. In this way students can come to receive the most secret teachings from their teacher. This is a concept that is very difficult to put into words.

*When the Shakyamuni Buddha was born, he raised one hand to heaven, stretched one hand towards the floor, took seven steps and proclaimed that there was no-one more exalted than him in all of heaven and earth.

Training is a journey

Your training is like a journey. If you have business in Kyoto, first you set out from Shinagawa, walk until you reach Hakone, continue past Oigawa, travel through Nansho and finally you will arrive in the Kyoto area. Instead of taking this winding route, you may think it is better to travel directly to Kyoto, but if you do so, even though an event may still occur along the way, your journey will not be filled with many trials and tribulations.

In training and competition, you should allow the fifty kumitachi* to lead you through many trials and tribulations until you become proficient. Other approaches are useless. If you approach them in this way, competition and kumitachi will never become tiresome.

* The core fifty techniques of Ittō-ryū.

Matching of spirit

In Noh drama, performers only wear a single mask. To show happiness or sadness, an actor does not change his mask, but expresses the emotion through his performance. A skilled performer is able to make an audience cry when they express sadness in this way. This is empathic – a direct connection between the minds of the performer and the audience.*

If you do not understand the points at which your spirit and the spirit of your opponent match, then you will not be able to attain victory.

** The phrase used here, 以心伝心, is a Buddhist expression referring to a telepathic communication or tacit understanding. In Zen Buddhism particularly, it indicates the nonverbal transmission of an inexpressible truth or understanding from teacher to student.

Owlish swordsmanship

There is such a thing as ‘owlish swordsmanship.’ Like an owl that can see in the darkness of night but which is rendered blind in the brightness of day, such a swordsman cannot comprehend the bright areas of opportunity.

Students who go through a process of gradual cultivation through training based on teachings and written documents they receive, and – in recent years – who take the true centre in shiai, who have reached the point where, more so than winning they focus on not losing, and are able to utilise the highest teachings very rarely have this kind of problem; however, even if you deliberately pay close attention to it, when facing an opponent your sword tip is liable to raise slightly. If you are not facing an opponent, this will not occur. You must be mindful of this and work to correct your sword tip accordingly.

Adherence to the master’s teachings

In Ono Jirōemon’s* dojo it is written:

“The Ittō-ryū school of strategy taught by this house strictly adheres to the teachings of the founder teacher, Itō [Ittōsai] Kagehisa, and transmits these teachings to students, never adding personal ideas, but simply passing down the teachings of Ittōsai sensei.”

*Itō Ittōsai’s successor and the founder of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū. Nakanishi Tanemasa’s line of Ittō-ryu (which originated from the Ono family tradition) is today called ‘Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū,’ but well into the twentieth century its official name was simply ‘Ittō-ryū’ and it was colloquially known as ‘Ono-ha Ittō-ryū.’ This naming denoted that it was the same tradition as that of the Ono family, albeit continued by a separate line of teachers. There was a great deal of interaction between various lines of Ittō-ryū in the Edo and Meiji periods. The full delineation of present-day Ono-ha and Nakanishi-ha occurred in modern times.

Itō Ittōsai presenting Ono Jirōemon Tadaaki with the Kamewaritō, a sword that was a symbol of succession in Ittō-ryu. Source: Honchō Bugei Hyakunin Isshu, 1851

Grounding

Even if you erect a fine, solid pillar, if the ground* is poor the pillar will twist and fail to stand straight. If the ground is solid then even if the pillar itself is poor, it will stand straight and true. In swordsmanship, even if a person is skilled at techniques they will not amount to anything if their grounding is poor. Conversely, a person who is unskilled but has a solid grounding can become truly capable. This “grounding” is extremely important.

* The word used here is chigyō (地形). This term appears in the Jūnikajō Mokuroku, where it refers in practical terms to adopting advantageous tactical positioning and movement corresponding to the terrain. Yamaoka Tesshū writes of two positions: junchi (順地) and gyakuchi (逆地). Junchi is an advantageous position where you are uphill from your opponent, and gyakuchi is the opposite. This teaching states that it is also important to place the elements (e.g. the sun, wind and rain) at your rear. The essential goal is to take an advantageous position while forcing your opponent into the disadvantageous position. This clearly parallels the teachings of Sun Tzu. In both immediately practical and philosophical terms, chigyō is a key teaching in Ittō-ryū.

Developing courage

A person who tempers their courage* will naturally improve the use of their hands (i.e. techniques). A person who focuses on training the hands will not develop courage. Courage is tempered by coming face to face with death.

Like a shell ladle: discard the body, to save the body**

*Tan (胆): literally “liver,” this can be interpreted in a similar way to “guts” in colloquial English.

** A shell ladle is made from an empty clamshell. The body of the shellfish has been discarded, but the empty shell can be used to fish out food from a pot. Hence, the swordsman must strike at the risk of his life (with sutemi) in order to avoid death.

Distance and closeness

A skilled person understands closeness and feels difficulty at a distance. An unskilled person understands distance but not closeness.* If you construct a box, first you prepare your saw, sharpen your plane, and gather your tools – you organise all the things you need to put the box together. If you try to make a box without undergoing this preparation, your saw will not cut, your plane will not smooth, and you will be unable to make a decent box. In swordsmanship, if you aim to defeat someone you must scrutinise the situation deeply in preparation. Only after you have done this will you understand how to win.

* ‘Distance and Closeness’ (遠近之事) is a teaching contained in the Jūnikajō Mokuroku which states that the distance between you and the opponent should be far for him, and close for you. Of course, physically speaking this is not necessarily possible. Rather, this teaching refers to perception of distance, and to adopting maai in a way that establishes victory before you make a strike.

Be calm and decisive

It is vital to be unhurried and to remain calm. If a fire breaks out, if you panic you will forget to rescue important things, and you will lose them. In swordsmanship, you face a similar situation. If you lose your cool and rush, you have already lost the mental battle. Without panicking or hurrying and without fear, take a single step without stopping, to reach the point of victory.*

*Although the kanji used here are different, this recalls the Ittō-ryū teaching “a single step, without stopping” (一歩不留). In simple terms this means to act without pause, doubt or hesitation, and advance at a smooth pace, avoiding stagnation. This can be interpreted on both a raw technical and philosophical level. See this article for more information.

The heart

The heart* should be rounded, but still have one corner
Too round, and the heart will turn over too easily
To keep a corner on a heart that feels round:
The harder it is for the men of today’s world,
The more they must strive to do so

*Kokoro (心) in Japanese: this is perceived as the seat of consciousness.

Click here for part four.

Sources and further reading:

『剣道』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 島津書房発行 1982 ( 1915)
『兵法一刀流』 高野弘正〈著〉 講談社発行 1985
『一刀流極意』 笹森順造〈著〉 礼楽堂発行 1986 (1965)
『剣禅話』 山岡鉄舟〈著〉 高野登〈編訳〉 徳間書店発行 1971
『高野佐三郎 剣道遺稿集』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 堂本昭彦〈編〉 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2007 (1989)
『剣道の発達』 下川潮〈著〉 梓川書房発行 1976 (1925)
『日本剣道史』 山田次郎吉〈著〉 一橋剣友会発行 1976 (1925)
『剣道五百年史』 富永堅吾〈著〉 百泉書房発行 1971
『増補大改訂 武芸流派大事典』 綿谷雪、山田忠史〈著〉 株式会社東京コピー出版部発行 1978

The Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections Pt. 4

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This series of articles presents what I believe to be the first-ever English translation of the 19th Century Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). Based on the teachings of Nakanishi Tanemasa, a hugely influential swordsman of his era, this text covers technique and philosophy of the Ittō-ryū school of kenjutsu as well as Nakanishi’s own opinions. The text highlights many significant links between Ittō-ryū and modern kendo, and is still highly relevant to kendo practitioners today.

Parts one, two and three of this series are already available, and the translation concludes with part four below. Thank you for reading.

Tachiumare

Tachiumare [lit. the birth/origin of a sword strike]* is explained as follows. Put simply, in today’s shiai, when facing off with your opponent or dealing with them, both parties’ swords cannot be said to be tense: they are only waiting. When your opponent intends to strike, their sword tip will tense up and become firm. This is the moment at which they will strike. Knowing this, you should wait within attacking, and attack within waiting. This is known as ken-chū-tai, tai-chū-ken (懸中待 待中懸)**. The key point is where the sword of the opponent rises or falls and becomes tense. When the opponent intends to strike he will raise his sword tip slightly. When he intends to thrust he will lower his sword tip slightly. From this, you can understand tachiumare. If you understand the above and put it to use, you should progress until you naturally understand the point of respiration (kokyū).

*Tachiumare is an important Ittō-ryū teaching which appears, in different forms, in both the Kanaji Mokuroku and the Hon Mokuroku, the second and third tiers of transmission respectively.

**This teaching also appears in the Hon Mokuroku.

During shiai

In shiai, the mind is false but the shinai is truthful (if the mind is false, the truth will be apparent through the techniques on the surface). This is because the shinai is always poised to immediately cut or thrust.

This is one case where, while maintaining respect for the [Ittō-ryū] school, it is acceptable to deviate from its teachings. When young, you should regard technique as everything, even to the point of failure. Passing beyond this, when you are over forty years old you should make use of your spirit and presence. In the same way, [young] people do as they please, but as they get older they become more mindful and thrifty.

Takayanagi sensei

A man asked Takayanagi*: “Sensei, you say that we must be able to defeat a strong point weakly and a weak point strongly. But what does it mean to win with strength?” Takayanagi replied, “I do not yet know.”

* Takayanagi Matashirō was a student of the third generation headmaster of the Nakanishi line of Ittō-ryū (and Tanemasa’s father), Nakanishi Tanehiro. Takayanagi’s family transmitted a branch of Toda-ryū that came to be known as ‘Takayanagi-ha.’ He was one of the so-called ‘three crows’ of Nakanishi dojo, the other two being Terada Muneari and Shirai Tōru, respectively the first and second-generation headmasters of Tenshin Ittō-ryū. Together these three acted as guardians for the young Nakanishi Tanemasa following Tanehiro’s death. Takayanagi was famous for his ‘silent sword’ technique, where he would defeat opponents without letting their shinai touch his.

The moon on water

The moon on water is explained as follows. You make yourself like the moon and shine light upon your opponent. Or, if you make yourself as water and allow your opponent to become like the moon, you will see the points where the light they cast is insufficient. In other words, you will realise their areas of falsehood.

Put your feeling into the belly of your opponent and act as if no swords are involved. Allow this to assist your use of the sword.

The ability to fight is something that no-one can teach, but even a child has it. At first, our school teaches and gyō [see above] without any connection to fighting, and exclusively teaches to remain calm and suppress the urge to fight. At first, students learn by paying no mind to swords conveying to the opponent their spirit alone. Thus, when they allow this approach to assist their use of the sword they will be able to attain victory.

The nature of a spark

The nature of a spark (sekka no kurai, 石火の位) is the feeling of a sickle striking a stone: it is sharp and fierce. When you and your opponent’s swords meet, the nature of a spark is the moment of sharpness where you transfer your feeling and your sword to the opponent.

Adhere to doctrine

Even if a purse is dirty, you should not throw away the coins it holds. Even if you are of lowly stature, you should not discard propriety and doctrine*.

*The word used here is (法). This indicates law, dharma, reason, natural order, propriety and doctrine.

The three natures

The nature of dew (tsuyu no kurai, 露の位), the nature of a spark (sekka no kurai) and the nature of a temple bell (bonshō no kurai, 梵鐘の位) can be understood as follows. With blunted swords (habiki, 刃引) stand far apart from your opponent, calmly and unhurriedly approach them and with a fullness of spirit cut down their sword with kiriotoshi. When you cut down their sword, it is with the nature of dew. When your sword connects with theirs, it is with the nature of a spark. Once you have struck down their sword, immediately you assume the nature of the temple bell, and send out a resounding echo that engulfs your opponent.

The nature of dew (tsuyu no kurai) is like a drop of dew collecting on a leaf. Although it is constantly on the verge of falling from the leaf it hangs on, then plops from the leaf as the tension breaks. Standing away from your opponent, as you approach them you must amass a fullness of spirit, then like a drop of dew falling from a leaf cut down their sword with kiriotoshi. The point of cutting down their sword has the nature of a spark [see above].

The master and the amateur

A skilled bowman, when using a noisemaker arrow* to exorcise someone possessed by a fox spirit**, stood facing the target with the intent to shoot the shoulder, where the possession was located. As he aimed at the shoulder and went to shoot the swelling, it shifted to the waist. When he aimed at the waist, it shifted elsewhere. As a poor shot would have killed the person, the bowman passed his bow and arrow to his servant and commanded him to shoot, but the servant declined. The command was issued strongly, and the servant reluctantly stepped forward to face the target with an arrow on his bowstring. In that instant the fox possession was dispelled. The master was so skilled he could not miss where he aimed for, but it was impossible to know where the unskilled servant’s arrow would have struck. Thus, the fox spirit took fright, and vanished.

When someone has trained a little with a sword and knows something of kiriotoshi and methods for winning bouts, it is good to engage them. A complete amateur who knows nothing of how to cut with a sword will attack randomly and without logic, and it is not good to engage with them.

*A noisemaker arrow (hikime or kaburaya) refers to a blunt arrow with a conical device fitted at its tip, designed to make a loud noise when shot. These kinds of arrows were used to scare away animals, and presumably, as this tale shows, were also used in exorcism.

**Fox possession (kitsunetsuki, 狐憑き) was a condition believed to affect young women who had been possessed by the spirit of a fox, which was viewed as a supernatural creature in Japanese folklore. Symptoms were varied but often included fox-like behaviour, frothing at the mouth, developing a huge appetite and the presence of a lump under the skin that would shift when touched or pricked with needles. Exorcism usually took place at Shintō shrines. The fox possession myth is to some extent analogous with lycanthropy in European folklore.

Woman possessed by a fox spirit

Growth and maturation

The three methods shin, gyō and * have nothing to do with physical technique, and are methods of the mind. When your technique has matured, your sword, body and mind will be unified.

For example, if you view plum blossom, you may paint a picture of the flowers you see, but you cannot capture their scent. A plum tree draws up moisture from the earth, grows tall, its flowers bloom and its fruit ripens. The painting is lacking the shin of the earth, so it merely looks pleasing to the eye. Swordsmanship too is like a plant growing from the earth. Solid ground, shin, is vital. You cannot train in swordsmanship without a determined focus. You should have a strong appreciation for this.

*Shin, gyō and , as explained previously, refer to timings in Ittō-ryū. However their scope is much broader than this. They can also refer to speed, shape or how close a technique is to the basic model, amongst other things. In the above description the meaning is close to that used in calligraphy: shin denotes precise, standard characters, very loose, flowing characters, and gyō is somewhere in between. Without learning shin it is not possible to progress to gyō and .

Turning the self

“Turning the self” has the following meaning. A lamp that shines its light directly upon you is a hindrance, but if you try to shield yourself from the light, it will still seep through the gaps between your fingers. If you close the lamp’s shutters, the light will still stream through the cracks between them. If you turn so that the lamp is not in front of you but to the side, it becomes an even greater hindrance.

It is best to turn to face away from the light, so you cannot see it at all. You will not be aware that the light is shining upon your back, and will be unperturbed by it. This is what is known as “turning the self.”

Although I know little*, I believe the above description of shielding yourself from light means that if you put yourself through great pains in training the kumitachi, acquiring skill, learning to read the tells in an opponent’s mood and sword movement, and become able to shine your own light on the opponent, you may progress further, to the point of extinguishing your opponent’s light. At this point you will no longer be perturbed by anything.

*This line suggests that this paragraph is written from the perspective of Takano Mitsumasa.

The other side of victory

A die is a cube, with faces numbered one to six. Six is the highest number attainable. When you win totally, the reverse of that victory is a singular defeat of one. When you win with a five, the reverse is two defeats. When you win with a four, the reverse is three defeats. This is the point of life and death.

Note: For clarity’s sake, it should be noted that a die has six and one, five and two and four and three on opposite sides.

Adapting to circumstance

Using the hardness of chopsticks, you can hold the softness of a bean. You do not set out to use the chopsticks stiffly because they are hard, nor softly because the bean is soft. You must use them adaptively, according to circumstance. Swordsmanship is the same.

Mountain foot, river mouth

At the mountain, its foot. At the river, its mouth.* This means that when you see an opponent intends to thrust at you, you should leave the target of your throat open while protecting all other targets, then defend the throat when he makes his thrust.
If you try to prevent him from making this thrust from the beginning, he will change the target he is attacking. To leave yourself open when the opponent intends to thrust is what is called “mountain foot, river mouth.”

*This phrase appears in the Kanaji Mokuroku.

Yin and Yang in Itto-ryu and other schools

Naganuma Jikishinkage-ryū* teaches to use jodan no kamae with the spirit of ‘activeness within activeness’ [yang within yang, 陽中の陽]. Ittō-ryū teaches to use gedan with a spirit of passiveness [yin, 陰]. With a spirit of ‘activeness within activeness,’ if you do not issue forth [i.e. be proactive, attack] then you will fall into passiveness. In our school, when you issue forth the passiveness within your passiveness becomes active, and you are able to apply yourself.

Munen-ryū** takes a position between activeness and passiveness, and utilises a slightly distorted seigan no kamae.

*‘Naganuma’ refers to the main branch of Jikishinkage-ryū swordsmanship. Naganuma Kunigo, the seventh-generation headmaster of Jikishinkage-ryū is credited with introducing practice with shinai and bogu, as pioneered by Nakanishi Chūta of Ittō-ryū. The Naganuma branch, in contrast with the Otani branch, was said to favour jodan no kamae.

**Shindo Munen-ryū, founded by Fukui Hyōemon, was another prominent swordsmanship school in this period.

Do not use physical strength

Neither striking nor cutting requires physical strength. When an experienced drummer strikes a drum, he does so with crispness and the sound resounds cleanly.

Chuta sensei

Chūta sensei* said:

“When children are playing beside a well, and a child looks like they will fall in, any onlooker, no matter who, will be startled. This is the vital point in an engagement. Not only is it very interesting, it has a profound meaning.”

* Nakanishi Chūta, the first head of the Nakanishi line of Ittō-ryū.

 

Compare natural ability, hard work and enjoyment of training: of the three, the latter is most important for becoming skilled.*

Although a cow may walk slowly, its pace is fine. It will continue onwards for a thousand leagues, never resting nor taking its eyes from the path.

This is the way of strategy: to attack the heart is best; to attack city walls is worst. Battling with hearts is better than battling with soldiers.
- Zhuge Liang, Marquis of Zhongwu**

*These are regarded as the three necessary elements for mastery of an art.

**This is a quotation from the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sangokushi, 三国志 in Japanese). It is advice given to Zhuge Liang by Ma Su during his campaign to subdue the southern tribes. When considering which strategy to employ against the city of Nanzhong, Zhuge Liang asked Ma Su’s advice, and was told that he should win the hearts of the people in the city rather than conquer them using military might.

Sources and further reading:

『剣道』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 島津書房発行 1982 ( 1915)
『兵法一刀流』 高野弘正〈著〉 講談社発行 1985
『一刀流極意』 笹森順造〈著〉 礼楽堂発行 1986 (1965)
『剣禅話』 山岡鉄舟〈著〉 高野登〈編訳〉 徳間書店発行 1971
『高野佐三郎 剣道遺稿集』 高野佐三郎〈著〉 堂本昭彦〈編〉 スキージャーナル株式会社発行 2007 (1989)
『剣道の発達』 下川潮〈著〉 梓川書房発行 1976 (1925)
『日本剣道史』 山田次郎吉〈著〉 一橋剣友会発行 1976 (1925)
『剣道五百年史』 富永堅吾〈著〉 百泉書房発行 1971
『増補大改訂 武芸流派大事典』 綿谷雪、山田忠史〈著〉 株式会社東京コピー出版部発行 1978

The Argument for the Revival of Gekken

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Gekken Saikoron – The Argument for the Revival of Gekken

Editors note:

The Jikishinkage-ryu swordsman Kawaji Toshiyoshi (1834-79) was a Satsuma-han samurai who lived during one of Japans most tumultuous periods. A military man, he took part in many of the battles that happened over the country as it reacted to western encroachment and fell in and out of civil war. He rose in military rank to Major-General and was sent to Europe to study the workings of various police forces (for a year between 1872-3). On his return he designed the first Japanese police system (based on a French model) and was appointed the 1st Superintendent-General of the fledgling keishicho (Tokyo Metropolitan Police) in 1874.

In 1877 he created a special ‘Close Combat Force’ from members of keishicho (named Battotai) and dispatched them to fight against Saigo Takamori in the Satsuma rebellion. The result of their combat experiences led Kawaji to re-consider the need for kenjutsu training for policemen and in 1879 he published his thoughts for its re-establishment. Two years later kenjutsu instructors were employed by keishicho for the first time. This event is one of the most important in the history of kendo.

Kawaji’s short essay on the need for kenjutsu training is presented here.

The following translation is the work of George McCall with heavy input by Richard Stonell. Its the first time it has been fully presented in English afaik. For Japanese readers the original is at the end. Enjoy!

- George


Gekken Saikoron

1. Although the katana has been almost unused since the Meiji restoration, there is a general effectiveness that is expressed by close combat with Japanese swords. It is my humble desire to see this discipline restored and become popular. Even in enlightened nations, swordsmanship has to this day been practised devotedly. If our country now discards gekken, it will surely be impossible to resurrect. At such a time, will we just throw away this precious jewel and exchange it for a lump of broken pottery? No effort must be spared to prevent this from happening.

2. Those who would discard gekken think that people with the temperament to cultivate great skill in swordsmanship should stop clinging to useless skills and obstructing progress, and turn that same temperament towards scholarly pursuits and contribute to the enlightenment of society.

3. This is absolutely incorrect. There is a rich variety in human nature and people have different skills or leanings. For example, there is the literary type, or the martial type. There are those who have a taste for both. You absolutely cannot teach a purely academic person the military arts, nor make a pure fighter study literature. Likewise, when someone has a knack for both, they must pursue both together. Surely forcing people against their nature in this way is what will obstruct progress!

4. Gekken is beneficial to health.

5. Gekken cultivates bravery.

6. Even if you carry a stick for protection, without the skill to use it against an opponent you will not be able to defend yourself.

7. When action is needed to suppress violent gangs, a man who has not disciplined and prepared himself in the martial arts will be incapable of volunteering to take on these gangs in combat. Under the former Shogunate, law enforcers who failed to arrest vicious criminals were invariably lacking this kind of training.

8. Police officers who are commonly involved in strenuous, dynamic work at crime scenes need to be always disciplining their bodies through hard training, just like a swordsman.

9. Gekken (i.e. European fencing) is actively practised in Western countries. Our nation is somehow on the verge of discarding one of its esteemed arts. We should not let things reach the point where we have to learn gekken from foreigners. It would be like replacing a golden piece of treasure with a lump of broken pottery.

- Kawaji Toshiyoshi


撃劍再興論

一、維新以来殆ド無用ニ属スルガ如クニシテ、一般功験ヲ顕スモノハ日本刀ノ接戦也。予此術ヲ再興シテ彌盛ニセン事ヲ希望ス。今迄撃劍ハ開明ノ國ニ於テモ當時専ラ修練スル所也。今我國之ヲ廢スルモ自然再興セザルヲ得ザルベシ。然ル時ハ吾美玉ヲ棄テゝ他ノ瓦片ニ易フルモノ也。惜マザルベケンヤ。


一、又日、撃劍ヲ修ムル程ノ気象ヲ無用ノ術ニ向ケ開化ヲ妨グルハ惜ムべシ願クバ此ノ氣象ヲ學問ニ向ケテ開化ヲ助ケント。

一、決シテ不然。人性ノ才資數種アリ。或ハ文資アリ、又武資アリ。文武兼備ノ資アリ、文質ニ武ヲ教へ武質ニ文ヲ學バシムルコト到底得ベキモノニアラズ。文武兩才アレバ亦必ズ兩達スペシ。何ソ今日ノ開化ヲ妨ゲン哉。

一、健康ヲ養フ益。

一、勇気ヲ養フ益。

一、護身ノ棒ヲ持スルモ敵ヲ挫クノ術ナケレバ、身ヲ護スル事能ハザルべシ。

一、暴惡ノ徒ヲ冶ムルニ己レニ鍛錬セル武備ナケレバ、挺身格闘スル事能ハズ。舊幕時代猛惡ノ賊ヲ捕フル能ハザルモノ皆是也。

一、巡査ハ平生現場一身ヲカ動シテ事ニ當ルモノナレバ、劍客ノ如キ常ニ身ヲ鍛錬セル者ヲ用フべシ。

一、撃劍ハ泰西各國ニ於テ常時専ラ修練スル處也。吾國適尊重スル所ノ術ヲ廢セントス。自然必ズ彼ニ學バザルヲ得ザルニ至ラン。所謂金ヲ瓦片ト換フルガ如シ。

川路 利良


Source

警察官のための剣道。立花書房、平成24年発行。村田徹。


The Flowering Tree of Gekken – Part One

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Introduction

The Flowering Tree of Gekken is a treatise on shinai and bogu practice, written in 1855 by one Tsutsui Rokka. Tsutsui was a student of Shirai Toru, a renowned teacher of martial arts whose name is still well-known today. Shirai was the second-generation head of Tenshin Itto-ryu (also known as Tenshinden Itto-ryu), although he had originally studied Ono-ha Itto-ryu under Nakanishi Chuta Tsuguhiro. Another student of Tsuguhiro, Terada Goroemon Muneari, was the founder of Tenshin Itto-ryu, which was based very closely on Ono-ha Itto-ryu as transmitted by the Nakanishi line. However, although Nakanishi Chuzo Tsugutake had introduced shinai and bogu training to Itto-ryu a generation previously, Terada completely eschewed shinai keiko, choosing only to practice kata. This was seen as quite unusual – and perhaps old-fashioned – behaviour at the time. In spite of this, Terada was said to be one of the dojo’s strongest swordsmen. There is a story of how he was once challenged to a shinai match and, despite refusing to wear bogu and choosing to use his relatively short bokuto instead of a shinai, he countered all his opponent’s attacks and soundly defeated him.

However, Tsutsui states clearly in The Flowering Tree of Gekken that he began shinai and bogu training (at the time known as gekken or gekiken) at Shirai Toru’s dojo. Therefore it seems that unlike Terada, Shirai took part in shinai keiko, or at the very least had his students practice it.

The cover of the original document is marked with a warning that it is only to be read by students of Tenshinkan Dojo. It is not clear precisely where and when Tenshinkan was established, but it is thought to have been located at Tenma in Osaka. During the early 19th century, Terada Muneari spent time in Osaka in the employ of Matsudaira Terunobu. It has been postulated that Tenshinkan dojo may have been founded during this period.

To place this text in its historical context, it was written in a period when shinai and bogu keiko had become the norm for most dojo. Some traditionalists were rather concerned about what they saw as incorrect approaches to swordsmanship that were manifesting themselves in gekken (see also Nakanishi Tanemasa’s comments in the Itto-ryu Book of Oral Recollections). Very long shinai, poor reigi and techniques that would not work with a real sword were on the rise and Tsutsui attempts to address these in the text, through implementations of Itto-ryu technique and strategy.

Overall, The Flowering Tree of Gekken is a brief but valuable record from a turbulent period in kendo’s history, and offers insight into the early evolution of the art. I have translated it in two parts, the first of which is below.

The Flowering Tree of Gekken¹

Tsutsui Rokka

For members of Tenshinkan Dojo only. Not to be shown to outsiders.

Over forty years ago, when I was still young, I entered Shirai Tōru sensei’s dojo, donned an iron men, kote and a stomach wrap², took up a shinai and began my study of gekken. Recently however, there is a trend for people to use very long shinai with narrow tips³, and the wearing of a basket of thin bamboo strips instead of an iron men has become very common. People are also using utterly despicable technique. Over my forty-odd years of training, many changes have taken place leading up to this point, and before long it is inevitable that a complete revolution in gekken must take place.

In advance of this, we must take the lead amongst swordsmanship schools and oppose the current trend of despicable technique. To this end, I submit for the esteemed criticism of my learned friends the following record of techniques for certain victory in gekken, and a critical discussion of the differences between the old and new styles.

¹ The Japanese title is Gekken Naniwa no Ume (撃劔難波乃楳), meaning literally “The Naniwa Plum Blossom of Gekken.” This is a reference to the plum blossom in the Naniwa area (in and around present-day Osaka), which was famed for its beauty and aroma and was seen as the herald of spring. According to legend, in around the 5th Century AD the Emperor Nintoku loved the beautiful plum blossom trees of Naniwa so much he had them uprooted and moved to the capital. Henceforth however, the trees only sprouted blossom on the branches that were pointing towards Naniwa. After they were returned to their original location, they blossomed fully and fragrantly once more. With this title, Tsutsui seems to be suggesting that gekken must be done in accordance with this text in order to be in “full bloom,” and that straying from the source will lead to hollow and lifeless practice. It may also be a reference to the famed plum blossom of the area in which Tenshinkan dojo is thought to have been located.
² The do was not used by all schools at this point. The shihan of another famous fencing school of the period, Saito Yakuro of Shindo Munen ryu, only introduced the use of do to his school after he was injured in a bout with Chiba Eijiro of Hokushin Itto-ryu. Although Saito wore a padded wrap around his torso, Chiba, whose school already used the do, struck Saito repeatedly in his flanks, leaving him covered in bruises. After their match, Saito concluded that he could not continue to practise gekken without wearing a do, and introduced their use to his dojo.
³  A famous gekken practitioner of the period was Oishi Tanetsugu (1797-1863) of the Oishi Shinkage ryu. He was very tall and used a shinai 5 shaku 3 sun (approx. 160cm) in length. He was known for his katate-tsuki and for challenging well-known swordsmen and dojo in Edo. He had a great deal of success in his challenges and is often cited as the reason for the popularity of extremely long shinai during the 19th century.

On Shinai

The shinai should be 2 shaku 5 sun in length, with a tsuka of no longer than 1 shaku⁴. The tsuka should be held with a supple grip, with a gap of 5 or 6 bu (approx. 1.5-1.8cm) between the kote and the tsuba. The end of the tsuka should be held inside the palm of the left hand.

The reason for not favouring a long sword is because it is disadvantageous at close range. Keeping a gap between your kote and the tsuba prevents the sword becoming stiff and lets you move freely. Holding the end of the tsuka inside your hand allows you to press your palm against it when thrusting.

One school of thought says that without a long sword you cannot reach your opponent, so not using one puts you at a major disadvantage. If that were true, in a fight with real swords, when facing an opponent with a sword 5 or 6 sun (15-18cm) longer than yours, you would have no recourse but to run away. However, in swordsmanship there is no distinction between long and short. One should simply use one’s weapon adaptively to ensure victory over one’s opponent. Even those who should know better argue shamelessly that a long weapon is necessary. What utter nonsense this is! When I hear this argument, I cannot help but laugh.

 ⁴ Approximately 76cm, with a tsuka of approximately 30cm. A modern kendo shinai is 3 shaku 9 sun or 3 shaku 8 sun in total – around 9-12cm longer than what is prescribed here.

Posture and Attitude

When engaging in gekken practice in the dojo, civility should be strictly maintained. Your consciousness must be placed in the lower abdomen below the navel. You should sink your posture to be closer to the ground⁵, stretch the abdominal muscles⁶ and put power strongly into your hips. You should move forward with your right foot stepping very lightly on the ground. If you do not practice in this manner, it will be hard to move back and forth and left and right freely and flexibly. Also, if you do not make your hands very supple, your strikes and thrusts will not have any reach. Without practising in the above manner, your posture will fail and you will not be able to move freely.

When you stamp your right foot hard on the ground, you are not allowing yourself to be governed by free will.⁷

⁵ The original text reads literally, “make yourself short.” This is in contrast to modern kendo, where people are encouraged to make themselves tall, and probably reflects the fact that kendo has evolved into a more athletic style that is less concerned with cutting as if the shinai is a real sword. In surviving densho of Tenshin Itto-ryu, diagrams of kamae show postures with the knees bent and the hips sunk low.
⁶ This suggests pushing out the lower abdomen.
⁷ In other words, stamping hard commits you to your action and for a moment stops you from moving freely in any direction.

Kamae diagrams in Tenshin Itto ryu densho

Awareness

You must remain constantly aware of your opponent’s eyes and the tip of your sword. Do not allow yourself to forget these things even for a moment.

Being aware of the tip of the shinai prevents the weapon from being lifeless and makes it easy to perform techniques at blinding speed. Also, if you are not constantly aware of your opponent’s eyes, it is very hard to read his intentions. Without reading his intentions, it is difficult to perform techniques with go no sen.

The preceding points are absolutely vital in gekken. However they are not things you will immediately be able to do.

On Speed

Speed is of great importance to physical technique. When you sense your opponent is off guard⁸, you should execute your technique at great speed without any hesitation. Other schools’ techniques do not compare to ours. They should be prized highly.

If you are aware that your opponent is not off guard, you may yet be able to strike him if you attack him with powerfully.

In a well-matched, close fight, you should not make dirty or vulgar attacks. Without watching your opponent’s sword, you should place your full awareness in his eyes. When he thinks to attack you, this will show in his eyes. When he thinks to attack, there will be movement of his mind, so you can take advantage of this opportunity and strike him with go no sen.

When you have effected a good defence, and your opponent is not striking at you, you should throw out a strike or thrust and make his mind move. Or, you should relax your defence where you want him to strike, thus causing him to attack, whereupon you can follow with your own technique.

⁸ Kyo (), literally “falsehood,” indicating gaps in kamae (suki) or a lapse in attention.

Countering Men

When your opponent comes to strike your men, you should counter with suriage and immediately strike him. It is possible to counter with a hari⁹ to the side and follow with a strike, but this is not as good as doing suriage. Naturally, when doing suriage, you should pull your right foot back slightly. This gives you some flexibility in which to perform the waza. Moreover, blocking a strike before returning with a strike of your own is too slow and should be avoided.

When you perform suriage or hari on your right side (i.e. omote, using the left shinogi), when your shinai comes into contact with your opponent’s you should step in and towards your opponent’s right with your right foot to strike. When performing suriage or hari on your left (i.e. ura, using the right shinogi), you should step forward and to the opponent’s left with your right foot. When you step in, depending on whether you are on the left or right of your opponent’s sword you should open up your body a little to the left or right accordingly, and strike your opponent’s men or kote before adopting Myoken¹⁰.

⁹ Slapping the opponent’s shinai aside.
¹⁰ Myoken is one of the highest teachings of Itto-ryu, and is the first technique of the Kojo Gokui Goten. In very basic terms it is a kind of harai-otoshi-tsuki, but the timing, distancing and execution of the technique itself are extremely difficult. Furthermore, the feeling of the waza is very important – it must be performed with no thought, from seemingly nowhere, and have no definite beginning or end. In the above text, it is difficult to tell exactly how Tsutsui wished students to use the technique, but it appears to form a kind of zanshin action where the practitioner breaks through the opponent’s defence to end with his weapon pointed squarely at their centre.

 Countering Do

When your opponent comes to strike your right do, you should step forwards and to his right flank with your right foot, and keeping close to his body, circle around him to his rear. If he comes to strike your left do, you should step forwards and to his left flank with your right foot, and keeping close to his body, circle around him to his rear. When you circle close to your opponent, he will not be able to use his sword freely. You should then adopt Myoken to suppress him.

Also, when your opponent comes to strike your right do, you should step back with your right foot while adopting wakigamae¹¹, then while moving backwards strike his left or right kote¹². It is difficult to strike men from this position. In situations like this, a long sword is extremely unwieldy.

¹¹ In Itto-ryu, wakigamae has the sword held at your flank rather behind you – in this case it is held in a position to intercept the incoming do strike.
¹² Depending upon which target is open.

To be continued in Part 2.

Sources and further reading:

『日本武道大系 第九巻』 著者:今村嘉雄 (ほか)〈編〉 出版社:同朋舎出版 出版年:1982
『剣道』 著者:高野佐三郎 出版社:兵林舘 出版年:1918
『兵法一刀流』 著者:高野弘正 出版社:講談社 出版年:1985
『一刀流極意』 著者:笹森順造 出版社:「一刀流極意」刊行会 出版年:1965
『剣道五百年史』 著者:富永堅吾 出版社:百泉書房 出版年:1972
『撃剣柔術指南』 著者:米岡稔 出版社:東京図書出版 出版年:1897

The Flowering Tree of Gekken – Part Two

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This article is the conclusion of my translation of The Flowering Tree of Gekken, a secret text on shinai and bogu fencing written in 1855 by Tsutsui Rokka of Tenshin Itto-ryu. Part One can be found here and I strongly recommend reading the articles in order.

This is to my knowledge the first ever English-language translation of the text. It offers an interesting insight into the early days of kendo, when shinai keiko (then known by several names including gekken or gekiken) had spread throughout Japan, but before it had become standardised. In this text, Tsutsui attempts to address unwelcome trends he identifies in shinai keiko by advocating correct decorum and approaches that are in line with Itto-ryu technique and strategy. Many of the things he writes about are very present in kendo today, perhaps a testament to Itto-ryu’s powerful influence on the art.

The translation continues below.

The Flowering Tree of Gekken

Part Two

Tsukikaeshi

When your opponent comes to thrust at your men, you should step back a little with the right foot and put pressure on his sword, then immediately counterattack with a thrust of your own.¹³

Immediately counter-thrusting when your sword comes on top of your opponent’s is a very effective technique.

¹³ This technique is known as Tsukikaeshi in Itto-ryu, and can also be found in the third Nihon Kendo Kata.

Avoid Enticement

If your opponent whips his sword tip around showily in an attempt to entice or deceive you, you should quickly strike his men¹⁴.

Note: there is a teaching regarding this known as ‘the moon through an open window,’ but it is very difficult to describe in words if you have not received the teaching.

While your opponent is acting in this way, he will have little notion to strike or thrust. At this point you should not pause even for a moment, or he will think to strike or thrust and you will have fallen into his trap.

Waving the sword around flamboyantly and similar behaviour is an attempt to make you confused and unsure, and then take advantage of that chink in your armour to strike or thrust. Attacking your opponent first is of utmost importance. Furthermore, this kind of attempt to entice or deceive is an extremely unskilled and dirty tactic, and it should be absolutely avoided. Your techniques should be sincere and true.

¹⁴ This sort of behaviour from the opponent is referred to as irotsuke (“adding colour”). The term appears in the Itto-ryu Junikajo Mokuroku. There are many forms of irotsuke, including pretending to attack high before attacking low, shouting at the opponent, using unusual kamae, jumping around or switching between kamae quickly and so on. This is an attempt by the opponent to “colour” your perception and unbalance your mind. Against such an opponent, Itto-ryu teaches to keep your mind in perfect balance, maintain sincerity in your technique, and cut straight through to defeat them.

Countering Tsuki

When your opponent comes to thrust at you with both his hands, you should open up to the left or right and strike his men or kote, then adopt Myoken. No matter what, it is vital to prevent him from doing as he wishes.

Adopting Myoken allows you to execute your next technique freely.

When your opponent wants to thrust at you, you should take the initiative and arch your back, lean forward as close to the ground as possible, and raise both your hands to be level with the midpoint of your opponent’s eyes and nose so that he cannot see anything but your kissaki and tsuba. Like a bird-catcher with his pole, you should then immediately thrust from this position, pressing your left palm against the end of the tsuka. If your opponent ducks backwards, you should continue to thrust forwards until you strike him.

At this point, if your opponent tries to use hari to push your sword to the right, you should step in towards his right with your right foot, strike his men or kote and adopt Myoken. If he tries to push your sword to the left, you can perform the mirror of the technique above.

Adaptiveness

Your kamae should not be fixed. You should adopt different kamae, such as jodan, gedan, seigan and so on adaptively depending on the situation and the kamae your opponent is using.

When your opponent adopts jodan, while he is still moving into the kamae you should quickly strike his kote. If you thrust, it is likely to end in ai-uchi (mutual striking). Moreover, the opponent is vulnerable not only when he adopts jodan but any other time that his body is making a transition and is not settled. At this time you should quickly strike him. This is of the utmost importance in gekken. You should always be mindful of it.

Suppression

After striking or thrusting, it is vital to suppress the opponent. If you are close to your opponent you should use Myoken, and when you are further away, seigan or gedan are effective. Although jodan is the most advantageous kamae, it is very difficult to use it to suppress the opponent. There is an oral teaching (kuden) regarding how to do so correctly, but it is difficult to express it on paper, so I will not do so here.

However, in gekken schools of late some people perform one-handed strikes or thrusts, or throw their weapon when they are facing an inexperienced opponent. One can also see people turning around in front of their opponent, or fooling around with the tsuka. This sort of behaviour, in particular showing your back to your opponent, is utterly taboo in the martial arts. These aforementioned types of behaviour are extremely rude, draw scorn from experts, and are a violation of the laws of kendo¹⁵. You should abstain from such things. To quote the Book of Rites¹⁶, such behaviour does not honour propriety¹⁷. How can people not realise this!

¹⁵ Tsutsui uses the word “kendo” here. It indicates a broad concept of swordsmanship encompassing the physical, mental and spiritual aspects.
¹⁶ One of the five Confucian Classics, detailing the social, governmental and ceremonial rites of the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1050-256 BCE).
¹⁷ The line in the Book of Rites is literally, “not honouring thy mother” (母不敬).

Gekikenkai no Zu – Yoshitoshi, 1873

Use of Kamae

Jodan is the best kamae for striking men. However, when performing more difficult waza, you are more likely to be successful using seigan or gedan. Wakigamae is even harder to use than jodan. It is better for each person to use kamae according to their natural ability.

However, when striking men, it is more effective to not exclusively strike straight but also open to the left or right and strike from the side.

Striking Do

When striking do, you should be aware that your opponent might have a saya and wakizashi at his left hip, and use your discretion accordingly. You should step towards your opponent’s right flank with your right foot, strike the front of his do and move past him with your body close to his, then adopt Myoken to suppress him. Obviously when you strike his right do you can strike his flank rather than the front. When striking the right do you should move past your opponent on his left and then adopt Myoken to suppress him.

When striking do, it is not good to kneel (orishiki do) as this constricts your movement. When you strike your opponent’s right do, you should step through on his left side with your left and then your right foot, sinking your hips low and slipping your sword underneath his tsuka¹⁸. You should then suppress him with Myoken.

¹⁸ This form of do-uchi can be found in the seventh Nihon Kendo Kata.

Striking Kote

You should mainly strike the right kote. However when your opponent has a strong seigan or gedan kamae, it is difficult to strike either kote comfortably.

When your opponent moves, you must take the opportunity and move accordingly to strike.

Striking Men

The most important of all techniques is a clean men strike from jodan. Although there are all kinds of techniques in the kumitachi¹⁹, ultimately they all finish with shidachi striking uchidachi’s kote with a straight cut down the middle, as if to cleave him in two²⁰. You should not consider other techniques necessary.

¹⁹ The kata of Itto-ryu.
²⁰ In the Itto-ryu kata, the senior practitioner wears large padded kote and many kata finish with him raising his hands above his head for the junior to strike with a straight cut.

Everyday Mind

When you and your opponent are facing off against each other in the dojo, if you maintain a natural, everyday mindset, you are certain to be victorious. If you have even the slightest concern about the fact you are facing an opponent, you will be in danger of losing.

Sources and further reading:

『日本武道大系 第九巻』 著者:今村嘉雄 (ほか)〈編〉 出版社:同朋舎出版 出版年:1982
『剣道』 著者:高野佐三郎 出版社:兵林舘 出版年:1918
『兵法一刀流』 著者:高野弘正 出版社:講談社 出版年:1985
『一刀流極意』 著者:笹森順造 出版社:「一刀流極意」刊行会 出版年:1965
『剣道五百年史』 著者:富永堅吾 出版社:百泉書房 出版年:1972
『撃剣柔術指南』 著者:米岡稔 出版社:東京図書出版 出版年:1897

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