The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Three – Inazuma

This is the third 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 third technique, Inazuma.

Sanbon-me: Inazuma

Thunderbolts in the Rain over Hashidate, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The name of the third technique in the set, Inazuma, means “lightning.” The waza consists of stepping 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 kirioroshi.

Below is the waza Inazuma as it appears in Muso Shinden-ryū.

Speed and timing here is important, as the maai is very close: the nukitsuke is made as the opponent is swinging their sword.

稲妻

諸共に光と知れど稲妻の
後なる雷のひびきしられず

Inazuma

Morotomo ni
Hikaru to shiredo
Inazuma no
Ato naru kami no
Hibiki shirarezu

They may see the light
That flashes in the moment
That the lightning strikes
But they will not know the roar
Of the following thunder

This is one of the most straightforward tanka to translate; however this does not mean that it’s necessarily easy to interpret. The implied meaning of “lightning” in Japanese is similar to English: it can mean an extremely fast movement (‘as quick as lightning’), or a very short interval (‘in a flash’). The root of the word inazuma itself literally means “spouse of the rice plant.” In ancient times, flowering rice would ripen following autumn lightning storms. It was thought that the lightning caused the rice to bear fruit.

There is a host of words for thunder in Japanese, and the one used here, “naru kami,” is a form that rarely appears in modern Japanese. “Naru” (鳴る) is to make a noise (to roar, rumble, boom, ring etc.). Kami (神) is a spirit or god. The word can be written several ways, including 雷, 鳴神, 鳴雷 and 雷神. In modern Japanese, the word for thunder is almost always “kaminari,” which comes from the same root and has a standard spelling of 雷.

However, the meanings of “inazuma” and “kaminari” are not quite as clear-cut as those of the English words “lightning” and “thunder.” Strictly speaking, inazuma refers to lightning in the sky during a rainstorm or shower, and cannot be used to describe thunder; kaminari/narukami (and related words) refer not only to the sound of thunder, but also to lightning that strikes the ground (a “thunderbolt.”) If we keep these in mind when relating the poem to the waza, suddenly the words begin to describe the movements in more detail: inazuma could be the first cut, coming from nowhere to strike a high point on the opponent; narukami could be the second cut, coming downwards to strike the opponent on the floor.

The following is a famous tanka that features inazuma as a central image. It is an anonymous love poem from the Kokinwakashu (548), written in the early 10th century:

秋の田の穂の上を照らす稲妻の　
光の間にも我や忘るる

Aki no ta no
ho no he o terasu
inazuma no
hikari no ma ni mo
ware ya wasururu

Though it was as brief
As the lightning that flashes
In the sky above
The rice in the autumn fields
I will not ever forget

Although this does not necessarily have a connection to the Eishin-ryū tanka, it does show how the concept of lightning is used as a metaphor in poetry – to characterise something sudden and ephemeral.

A famous line from the Nō drama Kumasaka uses lightning as a metaphor for something intangible, or too fast to capture.

取らんとすれども陽炎稲妻水の月かや姿は見れども手に取られず
(Like heat haze, lightning, or the moon on water. You may see it but it is impossible to hold it in your hand.)

A final phrase of note is Shiden Issen (紫電一閃), a four-character idiom that literally means a flash (一閃) of purple lightning (紫電). This phrase is used to refer to the flash of light on steel when drawing or wielding a sharp sword. Lightning as a metaphor for a swift nukitsuke or kiritsuke is far from unusual.

The Eishin-ryū tanka is possibly describing the high speed of the nukitsuke, and the intent to kill the opponent with the first cut. It may also describe the shape of the waza – lightning in the sky (nukitsuke) followed by a thunderbolt striking the ground (kirioroshi). The opponent may see the flash of steel, but by then it will be too late.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.