This is the second in a series of articles in which I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the second technique, Tora no Issoku. Note: this translation was revised on 11 March 2010.
Nihon-me: Tora no Issoku
Tiger Amongst Bamboo by Kano Sansetsu
The name of the second technique in the set, Tora no Issoku, means “tiger’s step” or “tiger’s foot” – either could be applicable, I feel. The waza contains an element present in all three schools (or teaching levels) that make up Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū. This element is sunegakoi, a sweeping block to protect the knee from a horizontal cut. The outer forms of Tora no Issoku and its more advanced counterpart, simply called Sunegakoi, are almost identical. Although “sunegakoi” literally means “enclosing the shin,” in standard Japanese, in Tosa dialect the word “sune” means “knee,” not shin. Senior sensei have told me that this is an important distinction to be aware of.
Below is the waza Tora no Issoku as it appears in Muso Shinden-ryū, where it is known as “Tora Issoku.”
The practitioner responds to a threat from the front by standing and taking a step back. The opponent then directs his attack to the right leg, and the practitioner responds by blocking the incoming sword with a sweeping sunegakoi motion. With the opponent’s sword knocked away, the practitioner swiftly kneels and delivers a kirioroshi.
虎一足
猛き虎の千里の歩み遠からず
行くより速くかえる足びき
Tora no Issoku
Takeki ko no
Senri no ayumi
Tōkarazu
Yuku yori hayaku
Kaeru ashibiki
A fierce tiger
Will travel a thousand leagues
In no time at all
Yet its pace is faster still
Upon its return journey
This is a difficult tanka to interpret without some context and knowledge of Japanese. The English translation above may seem not to match the waza particularly well. Breaking it down, however, some things become clearer.
First, some notes on the translation and language used in the tanka.
I have chosen to transliterate 虎 (tiger) here as its Chinese-style reading, “ko” rather than the usual Japanese-style reading, “tora,” as this fits with the syllabic structure of the poem. It is possible that this transliteration is incorrect; however, either way the meaning remains the same.
“Takeki ko” above has the same kanji and meaning as “mōko” (猛虎). Mōko means “ferocious tiger,” and is a metaphor for a person with a strong and fierce spirit. The word “tiger” in Japanese alone is synonymous with ferocity, so this is a particularly emphatic phrase.
The “thousand leagues” in the translation above is “1000 li” (千里) in the original Japanese. Li is an old measurement of distance that came to Japan from China, although the lengths of Japanese and Chinese li were not the same. In Japan one li was originally equivalent to 300 paces, but the definition varied considerably. During the Edo period the official length of one li was set at nearly 4km, although this rule was only enforced fully during the Meiji period. The li was thought of as a ‘long’ measurement of distance based on how far a person could walk in a fixed period; hence, I used “league” rather than “mile” or some other more precise measurement.
“No time at all,” is tōkarazu (遠からず), literally “as if it is not far at all,” and refers to how quickly the tiger completes the journey. However the same word also implies “soon,” indicating that an action will take place before much time has elapsed. This might imply that the tiger does not pause before embarking on its “return journey.”
“Ashibiki” (足びき) is related to the phrase “ashi o hiku” (足を曳く) and has several meanings, including “to walk,” “to stop travelling,” and “to make a return journey.” It may also suggest pulling (hiku, 引く) the foot (ashi, 足) back. In the context above, “ashibiki” is modified by “kaeru” (かえる), “to return.”
The above tanka is not particularly redolent of other poems I have encountered. However it does have clear links to at least two Japanese proverbs, or kotowaza:
虎は千里行って千里還る
Tora wa senri itte senri kaeru
This phrase means “in a single day, a tiger can travel 1000 li from its starting point and complete a return journey.” It is a metaphor for fierce energy and vigour. The phrase may also be used to refer to a parent thinking of their children (the tiger will make a long journey, but is sure to return to its den at night to look after its cubs).
It is clear that the Eishin-ryū tanka is a variation on this phrase. There is another proverb that is possibly related:
虎を千里の野に放つ
Tora o senri no no ni hanatsu
Literally, “to set a tiger loose in a wide field,” this proverb means to leave a dangerous element unchecked.
The Eishin-ryū tanka unsurprisingly seems to be comparing the energy, determination and speed required in this waza to that of a fierce tiger. Indeed, I’ve been taught to present myself as confident and threatening in this waza – “like a tiger” – even while stepping back.
As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.
What happened? I was expecting an epic saga like the first one.
Kidding of course… I look forward to reading more.
Thanks! Great work, as before!
I apologize as I’ve been unable to find time to send you more information from the book I mentioned. I’ll do that when I can (which at least won’t be before I repair my notebook!).
Regarding the reading of “ko”, I was, actually, going to suggest it when you first mentioned that this line doesn’t fit the tanka pattern. A few years ago we got an information brochure by the late Ide Katsuhiko-sensei with these verses as well as a list of waza of Muso Shinden-ryu. One particular thing was the name of this waza, as it was transcribed (in the original Japanese text) as “Koissoku”, both on the list and in the header of the tanka. The Russian transliteration of the tanka, however, started with “Takeki tora…”
Thanks again for the thoughtful translation, Richard.
Quick question. On this part of the tanka:
Soon it will return
At an even faster pace
Than on its outward journey
Is it plausible to assume that this suggests how the waza should be performed technically? Namely, do you think it is suggesting that the kirioroshi should be executed faster, or with a greater sense of urgency, than the sunegakoi?
@arefiev – thanks for that. I am not surprised that the waza can also be pronounced Koissoku and to hear that Ide sensei wrote it like this strengthens my belief that the ‘ko’ reading above is correct.
@Paul – I wouldn’t presume to say whether it is a straight technical description or not, as I am very much a beginner. However I have been told and have read that the speed of the ‘return’ along with that of the furikaburi and kirioroshi after the block is very important in this waza, and this is what the tanka suggests to me. People more knowledgeable and experienced than myself may disagree though.
It would seem to make sense to perform the kirioroshi with an added sense of urgency (as compared to yokogumo) since the nukitsuke in tora-issoku is a block rather than a disabling cut. Your opponent is not injured at all, so in theory would be in a right hurry to try some follow-up attack.
Richard
This work is brilliant, well done. It’s really great to see some academic type study done by somebody in relation to budo and I am envious of the time and opportunity you have to contribute to this.
In relation to Toraissoku, I have heard Ishido Sensei refer to the meaning of the word as reference to the action of the left foot as it flips over to make the retreat from being instep down to palm down. He said that that was the original meaning of the word but people now use it to imagine how a cat’s paw would be used to swipe at something in a similar fashion to the action of the sword.
I realise this is faily irrelevant to your translation of the Tanka but I thought you might be interested to hear.
I will add any information I have in comments to your other articles, I hope it’s useful in some way.
Best
Andy
@Andy: Thanks for the support! This series is built on the back of research I’ve had slowly brewing for a while. The contextualisation is only basic but I feel it’s important as a lot of the nuances in Japanese may be lost in a straight translation.
As for Ishido sensei’s comment about turning over the foot, I don’t think it’s irrelevant at all. It was through the tanka that I first realised the waza name refers not to the harai but to the swift retreat and returning motion of the practitioner. Ishido sensei’s linking of that to the movement of the left foot really strengthens that connection.
Thanks again. There are more articles in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to hearing people’s opinions on them.
[...] back and cutting into the wrist(s) of an opponent as they commit to a strike from jōdan. Like Tora no Issoku, this is followed by a kneeling [...]
Can I translate this writing and post it in my facebook?
The year of Tiger is coming to Vietnam and I want to introduce with those who still don’t know anything about iaido some interesting thing.
Thank u.
Here’s a more “subtle” approach, with a rhyme (because I’m French) :
The fierce tiger of lore
a thousand leagues will soar
Stepping back faster than fore.
Returning to the original, two interpretations that are inevitably linked come to mind :
1st. Looking back at the Okuden equivalent – sunegakoi – and taking that technique’s old name in the densho – tsukadome 柄留 – it seems the first part of the tanka may hint at the fact that you have to take the initiative and “lead” your opponent into committing to a knee strike. You would do this by stepping back and exposing your right leg while drawing kind of “slowly” but deliberately at first, then “blocking” the opponent’s draw by hitting his hand/tsuka just as his kissaki is going to leave his saya with a swift, powerful and overwhelming batto of your own (or in chuden, just as the opponents sword arrives at your knee/shin, knocking it to the side or even out of his hand). Then, you continue accelerating the movements while doing furikamuri and kirioroshi such that the second part of the technique is even shorter than the first. This would correspond to the second verse of the tanka.
2nd. Keeping in mind the overall intention described in 1st., start drawing slowly, execute the block quickly. Continue with a slower furikamuri than the block, then kirioroshi faster than furikamuri.
Nowadays the techniques seem to be practiced much more “evenly”, without much change in rhythm mid-technique. One could even say the techniques are “monotone”. This would make the second interpretation quite useless. With that said, I suspect this was not the case at all in the old days. Many techniques must have had a rhythmic pattern much like ryuto still has. This may be what this tanka hints at. Of course, monotonic practice is good for coordination and attaining movements that are of “one rhythm” (一調子), but in a real fight you should be able to change the tempo so as to not get taken by your opponent’s own rhythm, i.e. don’t be “in sync” with him (says Musashi anyway).