Pre-War Kendo 6: Kumiuchi

In the first four parts of this series, I translated the sections of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohan concerning waza for men, tsuki, kote, and do.  In part five I translated the sections about tsubazeriai and taiatari.  In this section, I translate the section on grappling (kumiuchi).

組打
Grappling

（一）劍を打落し又は打落された場合
組打は敵から組み附いて來る時、又は劍を打落された場合に行ふものである。敵の劍を打落した場合には、其の機に乘じ直に撃込むのである。若し撃ち遲れたなら、敵を近寄らせず、壓迫して行く。我が劍を撃落された場合には、敵が次の技を起さない間に、直に飛び込んで組み附くのである。直に飛び込めぬ場合は一時飛び退き、隙を見て飛び込ものである。

(1) Striking Down the Enemy’s Sword and When Your Sword is Struck Down
Grappling is something that happens when the enemy closes to wrestle or when your sword is struck out of your hands.  In the case of knocking the sword out of the enemy’s hands, take advantage of the opportunity and strike directly.  If you delay in striking, even though you don’t draw close to the enemy, he may be pressured into grappling.  In the case where your sword is knocked out of your hands, fly in straight away to wrestle before the enemy can perform another technique.  In the case where you can’t do that, jump back for a moment.  When you see an opening, fly in.

（二）組打の方法

昔の合戰では遠くからは弓矢で戰ひ、近づいては槍・薙刀・太刀などの打物を取つて渡り合ひ、それで勝負の附かぬ時は、敵を組み敷き、押へ込み、右手差を抜いて鎧の隙間を差し通し、首を掻いたのである。それに倣つて組打の場合は、敵を組み敷いて、腕を逆に取るか、面を捻つて動かぬやうにするか、或は面を捻り取るのである。劍道は劍を執つての技であるから、止むを得ざる場合の外は、組打を避けるが宜しい。我が强力を恃んで、弱い者に强ひて組み附き、組打を挑むのは宜しくない。敵が劍を打落した場合、直に撃込むことが出來なかつたならば、少しも油斷なく心で敵を壓し、然る後に拾ひ取らせるのである。昔は打物取つて勝負の附かぬ時、若しくは一方が太刀打折つて、大手を擴げ組打を挑んで來る時は、組んで利なきは明かであつても、直に之に應じ討死するを習としたのである。名を重んじ、恥を思ふ武士の襟懐まことに仰ぐべきものがある。敵の劍を撃落した場合、氣合を抜かず、許す所なく直に撃込むのが劍道の法であるが、敵の劍を落せるに附け込んで、所嫌わず撃込み、勝を得んと焦るが如きは見苦しき限りである。

(2) How to Grapple

In the battles of the past, they would fight from a distance with bows and arrows.  Coming close, they would struggle using striking weapons like spears, naginata, swords, etc.  When they couldn’t achieve victory that way, they would hold down the enemy, pin him, draw a dagger, stick it into the gaps in the armor, and cut off the enemy’s head.  Emulating that, in a grappling situation hold down the enemy, twist his arm, twist his men so that he cannot move, or twist his men completely off.

Because in kendo the techniques are concerned with the sword, outside of situations when it can’t be helped, you should avoid grappling.  If you have great strength, challenging people to grapple or wrestling with those who are weak is incorrect.

When the enemy has knocked your sword out of your hands, if he can’t immediately strike, pressure the enemy with all of your spirit and he will let you escape.  In the past when they couldn’t fight with striking weapons or one person had broken their sword and they reached out their arms to grapple, even though it was clear they would be at a disadvantage on closing, they would accept this knowing they would die in battle.  This was something that was revered in the minds of warriors who valued their reputations and had a sense of shame.  In the case when you knock the sword out of the enemy’s hands, striking immediately without any loss of spirit or letting up is the way of kendo, but taking advantage of the being able to disarm the enemy and striking anywhere, impatiently trying to achieve victory, is unseemly.

（三）劍道と柔道
けれども、平生組打の練習をして置くことも亦必要である。若し劍を打落さるゝか、敵より組み附いて來る時、組打の心得がなければ、劍の技には巧みであつても、見苦しい敗を取ることになるであらう。又暴漢等に遭遇し、止むを得ず格鬪する場合に、其の心得あれば役に立つことが多いのである。劍道と柔道とは全く別々のものではない。此の二つは譬へば簔と笠のやうなもので、一つだけでは滿足なものといへない。故に剣道を學ぶにも、機會あれば柔道をも練習して置くべきである。

(3) Kendo and Judo
However, it is still necessary to practice grappling constantly.  When the enemy’s sword is knocked away and he comes to wrestle, if you don’t have knowledge about grappling, it will probably be an ungainly defeat for you even if you are skilled with the sword.  Also, if you have an encounter with thugs and can’t avoid fighting, this knowledge will often be of use.  Kendo and judo aren’t entirely distinct things.  These two are, for example, like a mino [straw rain cloak] and kasa [conical rain hat].  You can’t say either is sufficient by itself.  Therefore, in addition to studying kendo, you should study judo as well if you have the opportunity.

NOTE: Takano sensei uses kendo as a general term for sword arts.  Elsewhere he refers to Itto Ryu kendo, Katori Shinto Ryu kendo, Kurama Ryu kendo, etc.  Thus it is quite possible that he uses judo in the same way, as a general term.

（四）足搦
尚こゝに足搦の法に就いて述べて置き度い。足搦の技に熟して居る時は、敵の氣を奪ひ、擔を寒からしむることが出來る。此の技を行ふには、敵に接近して、彼我の身體が相接觸する程にならなければ、十分に効を奏しない。其の方法は、我が左足を敵の右足の外踝に掛け、敵の脚を强く拂ふと同時に、我が太刀を敵の左頸筋に當てて强く押すのである。此の外、種々の方法がある。敵から足搦を掛けられた時は、敵の中柄、或は襦袢を捉へて立直るのである。又敵から掛けられた時も、前に突進すれば却つて敵を倒すことが出來る。決して後へは引かぬことである。又敵が足搦を掛けようとするのを察知した時には、却つて此方から掛けるやうにする。すべて足搦を行ふ時には、敵の身體が浮付いて、所謂死腰になつた時を見て掛くべきである。無理に試みる時は我が體勢を亂し、敵に乗ぜられのである。足に十分力を入れ、强く敵の脚に掛けなければならぬが、同時に腕で押す力が入らなければ役に立たぬ。 腕と脚と相伴つて掛くから、敵を顚倒させ、我が體勢も崩れることなく泰然たるを得るのである。

(4) Ashigarami
Still, I would like to write about how to do ashigarami here.  When you make use of ashigarami, you can rob the enemy of his spirit [ki] and chill his courage.  When performing this technique, if you don’t draw close enough to the enemy that your bodies are touching, it won’t have a sufficient effect.  To do this, hook your left leg around the outside of the enemy’s right ankle, and at the same time as you sweep the enemy’s leg strongly, put your sword on the enemy’s neck and push strongly.  There are many other ways besides this one.

When the enemy tries to do ashigarami on you, stay standing up by grabbing the middle of his hilt or his juban.  Moreover, when reaped by the enemy, you can knock him down instead by rushing forward.  By no means retreat backwards.  Also, when you sense the enemy is going to try ashigarami, try to reap him instead.  When performing ashigarami, you should watch for what’s called “dead hips” (shinigoshi) when the enemy’s body begins to float.

If you try it when you shouldn’t, your own posture will be broken, and you will be ridden by the enemy.  You have to reap the enemy’s leg strongly with sufficient power in your foot, but if you don’t use enough force in your push, it won’t succeed.  If you use your arms and legs together, the enemy will fall, and you will be stable without your posture being broken.