Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.
~ Wu-men ~
Showing posts with label swordsmanship videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swordsmanship videos. Show all posts
Over at the excellent Ichijoji blog, Chris Hellman had a post about a classic samurai movie, the Sword of Doom. The post includes one of the most iconic sword duels in filmdom, which I will NOT include here. Visit the blog instead.
An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.
The snow yesterday (not so common these days, and comparatively light
compared to much of the rest of the country) reminded me of this classic
scene from the film, The Sword of Doom, one of the several versions of
the multi-volume novel by Nakazato Kaizan, Daibosatsu Toge – Great
Buddha Pass, but arguably the best. (The others do have their good
points, though).
The sword master, Shimada Toranosuke,
played here by Toshiro Mifune, (I have written his name the English way,
but all the other names here are written surname first) is attacked
mistakenly on his way back from a friend’s house. The attackers realise
they have the wrong man, but make the mistake of pressing on with the
attack regardless.
This may be one of Mifune’s best appearances as a swordmaster
(admittedly, the role is quite minor) but he plays it to perfection.
I stumbled onto the Shugyo blog, where the author is tracking his progress in iaido and jodo. I happened to read an old post that I found quite interesting, about cutting incorrectly. There are several short videos that you'll have to follow the link to watch. The full post may be read here.
So I am now approaching the one-year boundary to taking my 7th dan
grading in Iaido and achieving Level 10 Paladin status (with a +8 vorpal
blade to boot). Naturally this means I now have to focus on the
important things in life to prepare:
Watching more Youtube
Starting to write more blogs
Procrastinating about finishing them
Doing the washing up
So in this theme of avoiding doing any training at all costs, I thought
I would spend some time in the dojo filming my students and commenting
about how they are "still doing it wrong, you never listen, why am I
even here if you don't listen, I told you this last week etc, etc, etc"
so I ensure that they feel that they are properly valued.
I decided to turn my focus on Kesagiri, a form that somehow gets little
attention compared to other Seiteigata so by my reckoning probably means
that we (I mean me) are missing out some essential bits.
Let's start at the beginning with the translation of the ZNKR
instruction on the most important part in this path to spiritual
perfection - hacking your opponent in two...
While facing the front, begin walking with the right foot; when the
left foot is in front quickly place both hands on the sword. Rotate the
saya left and down while drawing the sword; at the same time that the
right foot moves forwards, with a right-handed grip cut the enemy in
front from their right wakibara in a reverse kesa cut. Note - when the
sword has cut up, the sword should be rotated when the right fist is
above the right shoulder.
With the feet in the same position, with the left hand bring the
saya back to it's original position, release the koiguchi and grip the
tsuka; without stopping the sword from the rising cut, cut the enemy
from the shoulder joint down through the kesa. Note - at the end of the
cut, the alignment of the left fist and the kissaki should be the same
as Kata No. 3 Note on Point 2.*
* This refers to the kissaki being slightly below horizontal and slightly to the left with the left hand in front of the navel
I'm going to stop there because I don't want to get into how to make hasso kamae etc.
In the chakuganten (critical points for examination and judging) the
significant one of the two is asking whether the rotation of the sword
is made above the shoulder or not.
So these are the bits which are "decided"; we also receive various bits
of advice and instruction from our Japanese patron teachers over many
years including:
The two cuts should be joined into one
The initial draw should make a pressure to the enemy's face
The distance to the enemy for both cuts is the same
I think these are generally inarguable as they have been instructed by a
very wide range of teachers, both from official delegations to private
invitations.
It has been said that the most important decision that you'll make in your life is choosing whom to marry. It follows that the second most important decision is which katana to carry.
Japanese actor Keita Arai helps you to make the correct choice in the following video. Enjoy.
The video below was found at the end of a post at Kenshi 24/7 on relative outlook on Kendo in Japan and abroad. An except from the article is below. The full post may be read here.
Modern kendo in Japan has been intrinsically bound with (and to) the
education system for well over a century now. Also, as you no doubt
know, kendo in the police system
(yes, it is a slightly separate thing – nor particularly technically,
but in purpose) has always been a highly influential factor. Of course,
educational kendo and police kendo were highly cross pollinated in the
past (not now unfortunately). Due to such influences kendo was, at
least in generations past, seen primarily as a tool of education, both
physical and mental. Building up to and during the Japan’s highly
militarised era’s, it was also used explicitly as a tool of “soldier
creation” and to engender nationalism. After WWII a concerted effort was
done to democratise kendo, but in the end most of the teachers were of the old school variety (and if not, then students of them).
Since it essentially evolved in such a serious situation, it comes
with no surprise that kendo is – and is still seen to be – a serious
activity. At least that the image here in Japan.
Multitudes of kids clubs can be found all around Japan, and I’m sure
many readers have experienced keiko there. I wonder, however, if you
talked to the teachers about what their purpose is, that is, their kendo philosophy?
Kids kendo clubs here are generally (not always) community based
affairs. Parents elect to have their kid “study” kendo – often kendo is
referred to as NARAIGOTO (“something to be studied”), in the same vein
as things like as piano, abacus, English, or shodo, for example. Of
course, you’d send your kid to a nearby dojo, not travel too much. The
vast majority of parents chose kendo not because of the physical
benefits for their kids, but because it can (or is supposed to)
engender confidence and manners. Instructors are almost always unpaid,
generally older, and the clubs are run by parents (= usually the
mothers). Of course, there are some for-profit private dojo, but there
are not so many, and I guess don’t make much money (otherwise there’d be
more). Keiko will usually be tough (not violent) and kids may be pushed
about and cry a lot. In general, a kid doesn’t have the freedom to quit
either. Anyway, the point is that kendo – at the very start of a young
persons kendo career – has seriousness already baked in.
[ The above, however, breaks down
when kids start older (junior or senior high school age) and do kendo
under younger kendo teachers, or perhaps just amongst themselves. It
looks as if these type of kendoka have increased over the last couple of
decades…. ]
Outside of Japan, in my now admittedly limited experience, kendo
seems to be very more of a social activity rather than a community based
one: a once or twice or even three times a week affair with some drinks
afterwards. There might be some kids in the club, but maybe not that
many, and those that are there are treated softly so that they don’t
quit. There may not be any older people with decades of experience
(kendo and life) to help teach the kids or act as mentors or role-models
to young(er) adults. Obviously, this is a generalisation.
The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge katana. I don't believe it was ever intended to actually be used, but rather a showpiece by the sword smith or perhaps a piece of artwork for some daimyo. Below is a short video.
During Covid, I did some training in Iaido, and learned all the material of Toyama Ryu Iaido through Shodan. This included cutting tatami mats with a katana, which is more difficult than you would think, and also just a blast!
At Ichijoji, Christopher Hellman, the author of The Samurai Mind, posted an article about the everyday training of the samurai through the ages. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here. Below the excerpt is a video featuring Omori Sogen.
It
is sometimes tempting to think of the practice and training of martial
arts in pre-modern times in monolithic terms, as if there was an ideal
model, perhaps followed by a master in retreat at some secluded temple
or shrine. On closer inspection, this seems unlikely as social
conditions and the role of the warrior changed as the times moved from a
period of perpetual war to one of relative peace, not to mention the
varying requirements dictated by different roles and relative
professional positions, even within the warrior class in Japan.
Having
given that caveat, it must be conceded that traditions of martial
practice in Japan enjoyed far greater continuity than those of Western
Europe, even if it is generally acknowledged that the techniques that
have reached us today are very likely not the same as those practiced by
the founders of those traditions. One aspect that must have been of
great concern at all periods was how to develop and refine skill.
There
was, of course, the demanding, often repetitive physical training that
must have formed the basis of most trainees’ experience. This is likely
to have been intense, and yet quite unlike the military style drill
common in some more modern disciplines, a development that seems to have
gone hand-in-hand with the rise of militarism in the early 20th
century.
There
were other sides to practice, too. Omori Sogen (1904-1994), a 20th
century Zen priest and practitioner of the Jikishinkage ryu who had
clearly put plenty of time and energy into his physical practice (this
was a style which includes strong elements of both kata and sparring (in
the style of kendo) in its curriculum), spoke of his approach to the
practice of kendo in his younger years. He explained that he developed
the attitude that life itself was a perpetual series of contests. Every
encounter or situation in life could be seen as a clash with an opponent
in which any negative reactions he felt meant the situation had scored a
point over him.
As
he matured, he saw the mind that could be developed during kendo
practice as being the same as that developed by the practice of Zen:
“For
example, a person who practices Kendo holds his bamboo sword and faces
his opponent. If he forgets his opponent and his ego, enters samadhi,
and truly experiences this state, then even when he puts his bamboo
sword down, he must be able to maintain this frame of mind. Usually,
however, it is a different world when he puts his bamboo sword down.”
(Omori Sogen: The Art of a Zen Master by Hosokawa Dogen)
This
might be seen as typical of the Zen inspired approach of the later
C19th and early C20th, a time when a measure of social freedom combined
with the idea that personal efforts could reshape the world (efforts
that were often centered around violence, it must be said). It seemed to
have a particular appeal to young men, and was a direct factor in
Japan’s road to war, both with the wave of assassinations that removed
some of the less militaristic politicians from office in the 1920’s and
30’s, as well as the precipitating event in the invasion of China. It
must also be said that Sogen was closely involved with groups advocating
such methods, (to the point of being hunted for by the police) although
his own account stresses that he felt the time was not right for
assassination. (He also attempted to persuade Prince Konoe to appoint a
less hawkish minister of war, so it is difficult to categorize him in
political terms).
This
approach, to life as well as martial arts, stresses the power of
intention and the strength of will over technique. To be sure, this is
always a major factor in confrontation, but one that has inherent
weaknesses (exemplified in aspects of Japanese military doctrine in
WWII, not to mention the unfortunate tendency to veer towards
extremism). Older martial disciplines were shaped by the greater range
of resources, technical, psychological and social, from which they drew
the elements of their curricula.
While
Sogen pursued mastery in Zen, swordsmanship and calligraphy, seeing
commonalities in them all, Matsura Seizan (1760-1841), writing some 150
years earlier, presents an interesting contrast. A man of wide learning,
he is known principally for his literary accomplishments, in particular
his multiple volume collection of essays, Kasshi Yawa (Nighttime Tales
of The Year of the Rat). He came from a very different social
background – he was the daimyo of Hirado, a small island just off the
coast of northwest Kyushu (where the English sailor, Will Adams, landed)
– and although he retired at the age of 46, prior to that he set up a
school for academic and martial studies, the Ishinkan, and a library
that eventually had some 10,000 volumes (Rakusaikan Bunko). He was also a
noted swordsman and author of several works on that topic.
It
is clear from his writings that he considered sword use far more
broadly than Sogen did, which is unsurprising, as swords were routinely
carried by bushi until 1876. What may be more significant is that he
stresses care and attention to surroundings rather than Sogen’s emphasis
on single-minded determination, as a key to understanding the deeper
teachings of the art, a reflection both of the more complex demands of
Seizan’s social position, as well as the perspective of swordsmanship as
training for use (in protection and for ceremonial uses as well as,
potentially, for war), rather than primarily for personal and spiritual
development. (It may added that it is entirely possible that Sogen did
not receive the deeper teachings of his style – Sogen says his teacher
did not consider any of his students to be his successor.) The flavor of
his writing may be seen here:
“…for
those who are recommended to accompany their father, older brother, or
master, it is necessary to be familiar with etiquette. Because this
spirit of etiquette stems from the spirit of vigilance, if you perform
this duty well, it will carry over to the heart of swordsmanship. Those
who feel they cannot understand this roundabout explanation do not have
the real spirit of swordsmanship. But when it is time to impart the
himitsu ken (lit. the secret sword) from the inner teachings of our
school, those who have resolved to maintain this excellent spirit of
caution in daily life will already have the necessary attitude and
approach.”
(From Joseishi Kendan in The Samurai Mind by Christopher Hellman, p.54)
One of the things Kyokushin Karate is famous for is the "100 Man Kumite." This is where the karateka fights 100 consecutive rounds against a fresh opponent every round.
Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin, didn't think this up himself. This is actually an older practice from other martial arts.
Below is a documentary on a modern kendoka who fought 100 kendo matches. Enjoy.
