SHOGO (称号) in Japanese translates simply as “title” or “rank,” and the word can be used in many areas, for example formal titles of nobility, military ranks, scholarly ranks, etc, and informally in the sporting world, between friends, etc.
The use of the word that I will look at here is of-course that to do with the budo world, and specifically the usage promoted by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (1895-1946), and that continues today in one of its spiritual heirs, the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (All Japan kendo federation). Please note that the Butokukai information presented here relates to Kendo (variously called gekkiken and kenjutsu) but that eventually all arts under the Butokukai ended up using the system (kyudo, jukendo, et al).
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Practise may ingrain bad habits
From “Living with ambiguity” by Sydney J. Harris. Published by Nan’Un-Do
You probably know the chestnut about the stranger in New York, carrying a violin case, who stops an old lady on the street, and asks, “Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” With a glance at his violin case, she replies, “Practise, practise, practise!”
One of the oldest maxims in the world is that “Practise makes perfect.” This, however, is a dangerous half-truth that has betrayed many novices in many fields of accomplishimnent.
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It’s kind of odd at times how all of us are connected. We all remember our first time walking into a dojo. The odd sights, the sounds, the feeling. Many of us probably didn’t know exactly how to react to it at first.
Starting kendo in the states was a culture shock several hours a week at a time for me. At first it was fascinating, then later frustrating Then I believe it became the glove which I preferred to wear. My sempai told me once when he was teaching kendo in the states, ‘’I have to teach Japanese common sense. It is the most difficult thing’’. I didn’t really know what he meant by that till I started my own club.
People without any sort of Japanese cultural influence can be in for a surprise when they first get into a dojo. As an instructor at that point, I had to try to teach that Japanese common sense and then explain it at times. Why is there no talking during class? Why must you run everywhere? Why does the equipment need to be in a line when we line up? Why must I hear a reply when I speak? What is with the pseudo-military attitude?
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While I was in Kyoto for work at the end of July, I ended up swinging by a historical site that is associated with Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijoji.
Four years after Sekigahara the young Musashi came to the capital. Here he is said to have challenged the Yoshioka school to a duel. Musashi defeated the head of the school, then his successor. The Yoshioka – being one of the most famous schools in the city – could not stand the shame of defeat and asked for a rematch. This time his opponent would be the new head of the school – and the 3rd of three brothers (Musashi having defeated his two elder brothers). Leaving nothing to chance, the supporters of the school selected an isolated area on the outskirts of the town and prepared an ambush. The ambush of-course did not go as the Yoshioka group expected and Musashi not only survived unhurt, but defeated the last of the Yoshioka brothers as well. The shame of this defeat damaged the schools reputation so much that the school was effectively destroyed.
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Often when an individual thinks of influential characters in kendo, more likely than not, that individual will think of Japanese kenshi like Mochida Moriji or Takano Sasaburo, or even present day heroes like Eiga or Miyazaki (rightfully so as these people have left a tremendous mark). However, few would think of an American named Dr Gordon Warner. Little information is readily available about Dr Warner and therefore his contributions go unnoticed for the most part. Dr Warner was a pioneer and is largely responsible for bridging the western world to Japanese kendo. In the following post I want to share what I discovered about Dr Warner and encourage those with personal knowledge to contribute below (and please correct any mistakes I may have made!).
As a young boy growing up in Southern California Dr Gordon Warner enjoyed watching chambara movies with his nisei friends, which at that time was very rare due to the absence of cultural understanding. Dr Warner often believed the people in the community thought he may have wandered into the theaters by mistake. It was this early exposure to Japanese culture that sparked his interest in Japanese history and eventually budo.
Dr Warner, a social studies major at the University of Southern California, was a large athletic man. Standing at 6’4″Dr Warner was on the varsity swim team. During this time he also decided to pursue judo and kendo at a local dojo. After graduating in June 1936, Dr Warner entered the United States Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. It was during his time in basic training that Dr Warner met two officers Colonel Biddle (at the time a renowned fencer and foremost hand-to-hand combat instructor) and Captain Puller, who both encouraged him to continue studying budo, noting that kendoist were adept at parrying attacks during bayonet drills.
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It was only a matter of time before a kendo app came out for the iphone/ipod touch, and here it is: Air Kendo.
I bought it this morning for 115 yen and gave it a blast. It features the ability to practise men, kote, do (not tsuki) and hayasuburi simply by shaking your device. Its extremely simple and as such I’m not sure it deserves to be a paid app at all.
Anyway, its something that I’m sure kendo fans will buy (after all, I did!) and might be a laugh to use with your friends in the bar after kendo…. or even your sensei!
Here is a youtube video from the developer for you to decide if it is worth buying or not.
Mishima Yukio was a famous Japanese post-war author and playwright many of who’s famous works are available in English (as well as other languages). This is not the place to discuss some of the issues surrounding this controversial figure, but I do wish to briefly introduce one of this short stories that will be of interest to kendo people: KEN (剣).
The short story was published in 1963 (the film being released only a year later) and revolves around the story of the captain of a university kendo club – Kokubu – and his relationships with other members of the club, his family, women, and modern society in general.
Without giving too much away the theme is very Mishima-like, with emphasis on purity, youth, beauty, misunderstood youth, and alienation. It ends – as Mishima himself did – with suicide.
It is jam-packed with kendo scenes, all of which look all the more cool for being in black and white. Since it seems a real university club was used to shoot the kendo scenes its also valuable as a resource to show what kendo was like back in the early/mid 60′s.
At any rate, I realise that many people reading this post would have read the novel or perhaps have seen the movie but – after just re-watching it again – I thought it deserved a mention here. For those that haven’t seen/read it yet, then please check it out on Amazon. The short story can be found in English in the Acts of Worship collection, the DVD is – however – only available in Japanese.
Of-course, it’s possible that this post was just an excuse to share the cool poster-scan…!!
Among some of the top kendo manuals that are said to have had an impact on the development of modern kendo we have BUDO KYOSHI (1895), by Kumamoto (Keishicho Battotai), KENDO (1915) by Takano Sasaburo (the infamous Koto Shihan Gakko’s kendo teacher), and KENDO NO HATATSU (1912/1926) by Shimokawa (Budo Senmon Gakko’s head of the literary/arts dept.).
The table below is an interesting section from the earlier book of the three mentioned above. It shows a point scoring system for kendo. The translation is liberal, and the original is left for those with Japanese ability.
| Area struck | Description | Points |
| Men | A strong cut to shomen or yoko men | 10 |
| Men | Slightly weak, too deep, or otherwise imperfect men | 9 |
| Kote from jodan* | Fully out streched cut or hikiwaza | 8 |
| Kote from jodan* | A cut that is a little bit light | 7 |
| Do | A string cut to the left or right do or hiki do | 6 |
| Do | Slightly light cut or one that brushes the tare | 5 |
| Men tare | A strong 1 or 2 handed cut | 4 |
| Men tare | Slightly weak cut or one that glances off the mengane | 3 |
| Seigan kote# | Makikomi or slightly tapping cut | 2 |
| Seigan kote# | A light cut or one that strikes the fist stongly | 1 |
* Heiji(?) kote (兵字小手): Based on an article written by Nagao (近世・近代における剣術・剣道の変質過程に関する研究：面技の重視と技術の変容) this is a kote scored from jodan.
# Seigan kote (精眼小手): based on * above, I think its a safe guess that this refers kote scored from seigan/chudan kamae.
Its hard to know exactly how popular this scoring system was at the time (or if it was indeed even used), but it is fact that kendo competition in years gone by were sometimes fought for many points (the most on record was 12 – see 剣道を知る事典). Although discussion of the matter is purely academic, it is interesting to imagine how kendo could have developed had a point system as the above been enforced early in the 20th century. Anyway, just a piece of interesting kendo history for you to put in the knowledge bank!!
Kondo-sensei (Hachidan, Kyoshi) is one of Aichi Prefecture’s most well-repected kenshi. He often discusses kendo in terms of character building and its benefits to modern society. In this brief post, I have attempted to covey some of his feelings on these topics.
剣道とは、相手と気を合わせることを学ぶ第一歩である。そして人の心を大切にすることにより完成し、「武士道」は「もののあわれ」日本人特有の感情である。無常感である。思いやり、繊細、風流、風雅さなど。ここにいたって諸行無常という仏教の根本的思想やキリスト教の愛の精神と一致し、一種の宗教的境地まで達したのである。
人と会ったら挨拶する、何か教えを受けたら感謝する、集団の中ではお互いを思いやる、人として最低限必要な礼儀、心を重視した教育を実践致します。
近藤勁助 剣道教士八段
財団法人 全日本剣道道場連盟理事
愛知県剣道連盟参与
愛知県剣道道場連盟副会長
名古屋市剣道連盟居合道部相談役
As every kendoka knows, Busen (Budo Senmon Gakko) was – along with Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko – the premier place for training kendoka before the war. It was run by the Butokukai and was based in the legendary Butokuden in Kyoto. People who graduated from here went on to train kenshi all over the country. The schools impact on modern kendo cannot be underestimated. During the post WW2 occupation the school was renamed and its martial arts practice banned.
The subject of this article is about the person who was said to be the last graduate from Busen – Furuya Fukunosuke hanshi. Furuya sensei was well known in the Kansai area and taught at a few different dojo, including my own one in central Osaka – Yoseikai. I managed to do keiko with him only a few times before his health deteriorate to the point where he could not practice. Even after that point he still came to the dojo and attended a couple of gasshuku, thus I luckily had the chance to learn something from him. unfortunately, at the relatively young age of 81, Furuya sensei died last December.
My sempai and sensei reacted sadly at his death – not only because of his young age nor due to his impact in the kendo of the area – but his passing is also hard evidence that the kendo world is changing for ever. Gone and going are the sensei who learned kendo at legendary places such as Busen. Can we live up to their legacy? Well, only time will tell.
My ardour, posture, and sword were cultivated by breaking through the opponents kamae during keiko (相手の剣を割っていく稽古で気勢、体勢、剣勢が養えた)
I am the last graduate from Busen. This was a special school aimed for people who wished to pursue kendo as a professional career. At that time, training there was completely different from normal dojo. First of all, everyone was treated as a beginner, and kendo was taught to you from the start, no matter if you were experienced or not.
Read More Post a comment (9)Founding of the Butokuden
in 1895 on the 1,100 year anniversary of the transferring of the Japanese capitol to Kyoto (Heian-kyo), and as part of the building of Heian-jingu, the Butokuden construction began. It was originally meant as a demonstration platform for the Butokukai. It was completed in 1899 on the north-west side of the Hein-jingu complex. If was then also designated as a school for training Martial Arts teachers (later it would become the Budo Senmon Gakko).
At that time it was said “in the east there is Kodokan (built 1884), and in the west the Butokuden” such was its place in the center of Japanese budo circles.
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The Japanese budo are upheld by many that practise them to be an aspect of traditional Japanese culture. That many budo have taken their current shape quite recently is not important, as many of the arts can easily be followed back to far earlier roots and can easily be shown to be heavily influenced by more “traditional” ideologies (sometimes even neo-traditional). When we – as non Japanese people (especially if we are living and studying these arts outside Japan) – take to seriously study these arts there is always the question of “how much of Japanese tradition do we adopt?”
This is an extremely complex subject (and one that i’ve touched on before) but I would like to take a very easy and uncomplicated example and look it it with the above question in mind:
Wearing an obi for kendo practise
Seems simple enough – almost nobody uses them, right? The odd iaido person will start using an obi for kendo practise because it feels more stable, or because they have one keiko after the other. I don’t think i’ve ever met a kendo practitioner outside Japan who started using them on their own steam (though i’m pretty certain they must exist). I have, however, noted that many older people use them here in Japan, and I have received (always positive) comments about the fact that I use an obi for kendo.
Why would we want to wear an obi anyway? There are a few reasons that I could write down here: increased stability for your back; it helps to keep your hakama/keikogi on straight; improves your posture; helps you concentrate on your tanden/hara areas and improves your breathing; etc etc.
There are of course reasons that people don’t like wearing them as well: they get a bit hot and uncomfy; they rub against the bone when moving; they seem complex to tie; etc etc.
So, do you need an obi? Thats completely up to yourself (of-course) and nobody will/can force you to use one. However, assuming that my opening statement is largely true – about studying budo as a part of a larger culture (kendo’s “Japaneseness” is unequivocable) – then perhaps the questions is not “do you need an obi?” but rather “why aren’t you wearing one?”
p.s. note that although I wear an obi I haven’t gone all the way to wearing a fundoshi. Yet.
p.p.s. and where does this fit into things?
Please be sure and check out kenshi247.net’s gallery and flickr pages (leave comments here or on flickr) as well as kenshi247.net moderated flickr group the Art of Kendo which features excellent photography from around the world (and features work from a few kenshi247.net regulars).
For those interested in photography we will have an introduction to kendo photography online soon.
Having just recently spent some time in Seoul at the end of last year (one month in October), I had a chance to join a wide range of different practices at various Dojo across the Capital. While I was in Korea I kept a regular blog of my trip, and decided to summarise my journey here for kenshi247.net, and share with fellow western Kenshi my experiences from the land of the morning calm.
In this article I hope to offer a description of the various types of Kumdo environments, the approaches used by Teachers there, and address common misconceptions about Korean Kendo. Please note that if I use any Korean terminology in this article it is purely out of respect and politeness for the Korean Dojo’s that I visited, a respect that Korean Kenshi also show for Japanese Kendoka when they visit Kendo Dojo’s.
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When I hear the word “musha shugyo” it conjures up images of warriors of old traipsing around the Japanese countryside in search of rivals to test their martial prowess. This is of-course the normal definition of the word and a mostly accurate one. The usual suspects used to illustrate this type of activity are Tsukahara Bokuden and Miyamoto Musashi.
In modern day Japanese it still holds that meaning above, but has also expanded to include any study activities (usually academic or in the arts) and with a locale of anywhere other than your immediate area (foreign countries included).
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My friend rolled up to keiko the other day and donned the brand new BAK (Boost Ability for Kendo) speciality underwear. The adverts have been appearing in the Japanese kendo mags for a couple of months now, as have an article or two, but its the first time i’ve gotten to see one and had some direct feedback. I won’t pass comment here (at least yet), so please read more.
It is engineered specifically for kendo by a professional (and ex-sports coach for the Japanese team) for kendo people. Check out the website for more pictures and detailed explanations. It is in Japanese but looking at the pictures you will get an idea:
Please have a look at the site and read the FAQ (that i’ve translated below) and let me know what you think.
BAK FAQ
Q. Is it possible to wear BAK in shiai?
A. As there is no supporter on the foot it should be possible to use the BAK in shiai without having to inform the shiai organisers.
Q. Is it better to wear the BAK under certain temperatures (seasons)?
A. You can use the BAK all year round without temperature/season limitation. Due to the materials its made with it will feel cool after keiko even in summer.
Q. Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?
A. It will feel a little bit tight when you wear it but it should feel like you are nearly naked. Also, we have had a lot of feedback saying that it doesnt feel uncomfortable even during the summer.
Q. Is there a female version?
A. Basically the BAK can be used by both genders but we are currently doing research on a female specific version.
Q. Can you wash it in the washing machine?
A. Basically we would prefer you to hand wash it, but if you use a washing machine don’t soak it for a long time. Also, definitely do not put it in a dryer.
(有賀武子、８１歳。剣道かわら版 ２００８年１１月)
I found this poem while looking at the monthly distributed Kendo Kawaraban. Its a very interesting and fun poem about doing kendo as a youth. I feel it captures a certain spirit that many of us sometimes miss when studying kendo. The best thing about it is, of course, that it wasn’t written by a primary school kid, but by an 81 year old woman called Ariga Takeko.
Its very easy to read and understand in Japanese, but very difficult to translate the feeling into English. Anyway, in a departure from our normal content (but in line with our mission of having varied and interesting things) i’d like to share it, so here is my (bad, not so literal, and definitely unpoetic!) translation. Enjoy.
Youth
When I grow up
It’s going to be me V.S. mum!
My friend next to me
isn’t doing their suburi properly
me, I wont copy that.
A cool kenshi is cool
even when they lose.
When I hold my shinai
I feel just like a Samurai
holding his katana.
Ariga Takeko, 81. Poem taken from 2008 November edition of Kendo Kawaraban.
Recently I’ve had a few people telling me the same thing: I take it easy in ippon shoubu, and need to attack more. For most people who know me and how much I thoroughly hate losing, this might raise a chuckle. After all, how can I have produced the results I have to date by being lazy in ippon shoubu of all things? And one thing I love doing is the old barrage attack that overwhelms people into making mistakes.
So this got me thinking, what am I supposed to think about or do with advice like this? Inevitably, it’s when I am practicing with older people. Since coming to Japan I’ve heard it or it’s equivalent four times, and all from people who are either considerably older than me (ie a good twenty years) or from people watching my keiko with higher grades. Upon thinking about it I remember one consistent point between each keiko. I knew that if I moved, I was going to get hit, so instead of simply using my reach and speed (I’m always being encouraged to think past reach and speed), I tried to think around it and create a better or proper opportunity to allow me to attack freely. Weather I managed it or not is a different question, but the comments that came afterwards, from either the person I was practicing with or the busy body watching was that I should attack more against older people, or much higher grades.
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Shisei wo tadashi! Mokuso!
These “commands” should sound familiar to most Kendoka. Sometimes the order to straighten up isn’t included, just plain “mokuso.” According to my dictionary it simply means “meditation.” But what is it that we’re supposed to do before and after practice? The common explanation its for getting rid of your thoughts, clearing your mind, or/and emptying your mind. All this seems kind of difficult to perform, especially after the last jigeiko when adrenalin is rushing through your veins and there is a throbbing in your head. Still, you have to clear your mind and don’t think.
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I speak pretty decent Japanese. I am not fluent, but I would say confidently that I am bilingual. Reading (and writing) it, of-course, is another matter. I struggle in these departments, but hopefully after a few more years of living here I can really get my Japanese skills up to par.
I live here so I need to use Japanese in my daily business (work, kendo, buying beer, etc), but for those of you that live outside Japan and practise kendo, what’s your take on whether learning Japanese for budo (kendo et al): is it a good or a bad thing? Actually, lets go one step further: is it a necessity or or is not?
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Jissen Volume 3 is an instructional video produced by Hertz Ltd. featuring Hachidan Hanshi Chiba Masashi and Nanadan Kyoshi Hayashi. There are several reasons why I skipped to volume 3; 1) It is entirely dedicated to jodan-no-kamae and like all good low-dans I just want to skip ahead to jodan 2) The first two volumes have already been reviewed in Kendo World magazine (some of you read it don’t you?) and 3) Each DVD cost ￥10,000 (approximately $100 Yankee dollars) so I can’t really afford to review all three.
The DVD is 53 minutes long featuring numerous chapters and some high light footage of Chiba-sensei at the recent Meiji-mura Taikai. The DVD is region free so it can be played in any DVD player. The Hertz website is in Japanese only, so if you want to order this DVD you will need to get a friend who speaks the language to help you.
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Chiba Masashi sensei, 2 times winner of the All Japan Championships, and kendo instructor for Keishicho, will be leading a Senior Grading Seminar later this year in the U.K.
For more information including, an application form and links to videos, please visit:
The Republic of Korea, a neglected little country in southeast Asia, that lives in the shadow of it’s behemoth neighbor China and is often in competition with it’s goodie-two-shoes cousin Japan. Korea has a rich and turbulent history, a strong national identity, has been a major player in global politics, and is one of the largest economies in the world. Yet despite its military, economic, and technological achievements Korea always seems to come in second or third place. When you think of cars, Honda comes to mind before Hyundai, and when you think of electronics Sony comes before Samsung. Naturally when you think of kendo, you think of its birth place Japan. Everyone wants to come to Japan to learn kendo; very rarely do people choose Korea over Japan when it comes to having a bamboo bash abroad.
When the subject of kendo and Korea comes up many talk of “kumdo” as a bastardized version of the fencing art we all love. Even with Korea’s success at the World Kendo Championship and an over all extremely high level as a nation, kendo in Korea is often talked about as if it is something different. We’ve all heard the kumdo versus kendo argument a million times, but is there really a difference? I was always of the opinion that there was not, however I realized I had nothing to base this opinion on other than hearsay. I remember how many assumptions I had made about kendo in Japan turned out to be rather misinformed after living here. So for some time now I have been quite interested in hoping over to the ROK to experience it first hand. On September 22nd I did so.
Read More Post a comment (5)I have created a new youtube channel where I will attempt to upload videos now and again. I much prefer photography to video, but I will do my best to add the occasional recording (promise!). At any rate, check it out:
http://jp.youtube.com/user/kenshi247net
The first video is of the Osaka Budosai (Osaka Budo festival) which was held in February 2008. It features members of the elite Osaka Police Kendo Team, including current All Japan Kendo Champion Teramoto Shoji. Also included are Sato and Kiwada, both of whom got 3rd place at the same championships last year.
Point of note – Kiwada is the current All Japan Police individual champion, and Teramoto got 2nd place.
Here is the advice that was given to my favourite teacher just prior to him passing his hachidan on this 4th attempt at the age of 49 a few years ago. The advice was given to him by the shihan of my dojo, a kendo hanshi who was in the last class of 5 people to graduate Busen (the infamous Budo Senmon Gakko in Kyoto). He was told to:
気勢・剣勢・体勢をもって正しく打ち切る。気攻めで、相手の気と機をつかむ。それを自然と身体が覚える。
- With a vigirous spirit and sword, and a good posture, be decisive (in your actions and cutting).
- Apply pressure to your opponent by reading their intent and seizing his openings with a strong and confident spirit.
- Do this until your body can react and move naturally.
Luckly he goes on too expand it point by point:
気勢：立合は、必死も大きな声を出し、懸かる気持ちをみせる。
剣勢：左手、右手の使用で剣先がおちる打ち。
体勢：右足の攻めと、左足の引き付け、打突後のさばき。
正しく打ち切る：色を掛けないで、打ち間から、捨て切る打ち。
気攻め：留めて留めて丹田から前に押し出し攻め。
気と機をつかむ：その攻めにより、相手の気剣体の動きと、心の動きを観、初太刀の攻防。
- vigirous spirit: with a big kiai do your utmost to project your feeling of attack on your opponent;
- vigirous sword: using both hands correctly cut decisively and strongly with the kensaki.;
- posture: use your right foot to pressure the opponent, don’t forget to pull up your left foot always, and be careful of your movement after you strike;
- cut decisively: without showing your intention to strike and from uchima, throw your whole body (sutemi) into the cut;
- attacking with your spirit: hold the attack in your tanden until breaking point, whilst pressuring forwards;
- Apply pressure to your opponent by reading their intent and seizing his openings: using your seme, study your opponents movements, both his kikkentai and his heart. Pay particular attention to the attack/defence of the opening cut (shotachi).
On top of the advice he received, he then adds his own points:
基礎体力の充実：走り込み・腹筋・背筋・腕立て。
切り返し・打ち込み稽古：朝稽古での切り返し、打ち込み稽古の継続。地稽古の後、面の打ち込み稽古。
基本技の継続：機を熟しての打ち切る技の反復。
- Train your body to become stronger: run, do situps, back stretches, and pushups;
- Kirikaeshi / Uchikomigeiko: continually practise kirikaeshi and uchimomigeiko. After jigeiko, practise basic men cutting;
- Continuation of kihon-waza practise: repeatedly execute decisive strikes at opportune moments.
This is a lot to digest, but just reading it has taken us all one step closer to hachidan!
Please note that this translation was quite hard! Any and all mistakes are my own. If you have any comments on the translation, then get in touch.
Image from amazon.jp
Kata training in kendo nowadays is had via the well known and respected “nihon kendo no kata,” and it has played an important part in keeping the “sword” element of kendo alive to this day. We also have the newly introduced “bokuto ni yoru kihon keiko-ho” (although they not officially called “kata”) which is a method of teaching shinai-kendo techniques using a bokuto. But before both these sets of kata, there were precursory attempts to create kata for teaching to kendo people. These forms are still practised in the Japanese kendo community today, although rare.
Keishi ryu (警視流)
Keishicho (Tokyo Metropolitan Police force) has been the leader of modern kendo from its very inception. In 1880 it was decided that all members of the police force would train in martial arts and from that time they started recruiting exponents from around the country to teach. Having many different teachers from many different ryu-ha was obviously a problem so it was decided to create a single set of forms in order to teach.
According to Alex Bennets “A Brief Synopsis of the History of Kendo” : As far as the Keishicho kata is concerned, it is difficult to establish exactly when they were created, but records of a demonstration of various kata by the Keishicho administrators at the 1886 Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai (martial arts tournament) suggest that they were finalised around this time.
The curriculum consisted of 10 odachi, 5 batto, and a number of yawara-jutsu kata. The odachi forms are still practised in Keishicho today, the batto forms are being transmitted outside of the police, and the yawarajutsu portion seems to have been lost.
The odachi kata are completely different from modern kendo no kata but, as a first attempt to consolidate the kenjutsu ryu-ha system into a single, much more easily teachable and transferable method of sword study, there importance cannot be overlooked. Also, that Keishicho have lead – and continue to lead – the kendo world is an important point that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Gogyo no kata (五行之形)
Gogyo no kata are a set of 5 odachi and 3 kodachi forms that were devised by Takano Sasaburo and taught in the Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko (Tokyo Higher Normal School) in around 1904. These kata were modified forms of kata taken from Nakanishi-ha itto-ryu, of which Takano was an exponent of.
That Takano was a member of the group setup by the Butokukai that devised and presented the later Dai nippon kendo no kata in 1912 – and the direct precursor to todays kendo no kata – is an important point to consider when placing this set of kata in the context of modern kendo.
For those of us that have had some experience of practising or watching Ono-ha or Nakanishi-ha itto ryu, there is more than a passing resemblance between these traditions and kendo no kata, in the manner of execution if not 100% in waza. It strikes me that Takano was extremely influential in the creation of kendo no kata, and his precursor to this was Gogyo no kata.
These kata are still taught today in Tsukaba University (the renamed Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko).
This is just a brief discussion into an area that fascinates me and that I would like to research more about. If you have any more information on these sets of kata please get in touch.
Pictures taken from kendo nippon.
Of-course, everyone who does studies Japanese budo is familiar with the formal Japanese sitting posture SEIZA (正座). The more relaxed, crossed legged sitting posture is something that probably everyone does as well, though its name you might not know: ANZA (安座). However there is also a third seated term that we use in budo, and is probably something that most people who study iaido (also shinto, kyudo, and perhaps aikido and other budo that stem from yawara/jujutsu) do consciously on a regular basis without knowing the term or perhaps even its meaning. In fact, I had never heard about it until a kendo 8 dan told me and other members of my dojo at a recent gasshuku. Nobody else had heard the term either!!
The term describes the kneeling posture where you sit on the balls of your feet – something performed very often in iaido – and is called KIZA (危座). In iaido the posture itself is something of an in-between position, between getting out of seiza and performing some other movement, but there is more to it than this. Lets look at the kanji:
危 – DANGEROUS. Examples: kiken-na (危険な); abunai (危ない).
座 – SEAT / SIT. Examples: kamiza (上座); seiza (正座); zazen (座禅); suwaru (座る).
So what does it mean? Basically, KIZA refers to a seating position in which you can immediately launch an attack (or defend yourself) against an opponent/enemy. Its not an in-between position, rather its a physical state that is itself threatening and – at the same time – wary. If the opponent moves, you can react; if they make no move to attack you, then you can either launch your own attack preemptively, or remain there in a state of wariness. I am tempted to call it a kamae even.
In kendo we don’t think about these things very often, if at all. Its only when you begin to learn the full reiho for kendo no kata that it enters into our practise.
Anyway, this post might not interest most people, but recently i’ve found myself contemplating this every time I move into and out of seiza, and its part of a complete re-assessment of “kendo” and “budo” for me that started when I moved to Japan 5 years ago, and that I am still in the process of doing now. This blog is part of my struggle to digest and process this information. Expect more….
btw, the cross legged term ANZA (安座) mentioned about uses the kanji 安 which can be defined to mean peacful, safe, and secure.
I’ve heard it said that people who practise budo with a poor attitude either quit or change. When I look back (just a few years ago!) on my first days of iaido in Japan, I wince. Initially, my attitude was terribly poor; although I performed no worse than most beginners, I didn’t have the willpower to work really hard to overcome my problems. I was overly critical of myself, analysing my mistakes too much, when all I should have done was shut up and got on with it.
At some point, though, something clicked and I simply began training: no specific goals, no getting distracted by mistakes, no trying to pick apart the waza. Day by day, imperceptibly, I improved. It was only once I became aware of this gradual improvement that I began to grasp a little of the meaning behind the kakemono in my sensei’s dojo: 百錬自得 (Hyakuren Jitoku), or roughly, ‘natural acquisition through repetitive training.’ The meaning runs a little deeper than this (百錬 literally refers to tempering metal, and 自得 can mean ‘being paid back for one’s efforts’) but the translation above reflects the main sentiment. If you keep practising long and hard enough, the waza will naturally become yours.
This mindset became the basis for my incremental progress. I managed to let go of my distractions and got on with the task at hand, and my efforts were rewarded. Realising this also helped me come to terms with the fact that the longer I train, the more I have to work on.
The few short years I’ve spent training in iaido have completely changed my attitude, very much for the better. I know that even if I can’t see improvement, hard work will bring about a gradual shift in the right direction. And now I enjoy having difficult problems to work on – when I finally get something right that I’ve been struggling to do for months, it makes it all the sweeter.
When I entered my new kendojo this week, the first thing that caught my eye was the kakemono on the shomen. It read 百錬自得. My sempai told me that it was written by a sensei in his eighties, who had only recently passed hachidan. For such a kendoka, I can’t think of a more fitting phrase.
「其れ剣は心なり。心正しからざれば、剣又正しからず。すべからく剣を学ばんと欲する者は、まず心より学べ – 島田 虎之助
“The sword is (like) the heart (心). If the heart is not correct, then the sword is not correct. For anyone who wishes to study the (way of the) sword, you must first study your heart.” – Shimada Toranosuke
Everyone who has ever studied a bit about kendo (or any sword based Japanese martial art) will have come across the saying above. But what do you know about the man that wrote it?
Shimada Toranosuke was born in 1814 in Kyushu and became a one of the three most renowned kenshi in the Bakumatsu/Tenpo eras. He began learning itto-ryu at the Han (Japanese fuedal domain) school when he was 10 years old. By 15 it was said he was so strong that no one could be his partner thus, at the tender age of 16, he set off on a Musha Shugyo (“warriors pilgrimage”) around Kyushu, securing his infamy.
In 1838 he headed to Edo (now Tokyo) and became a pupil of the highly renowned Otani Nobutono and studied Jiki-shinkage-ryu kenjutsu under him. Achieving his teachers license in a year he at first taught at Otani’s dojo, before opening his own. His most famous student was Katsu Kaishu.
He died of natural causes at the age of 39 and is buried in Asakusa in Tokyo.
As the summer slowly transitions into autumn the days get shorter and cooler. In Japan however Mother Nature saves the worst for last. 40 degree days with humidity at 60% and climbing; the kind of weather that would make you lethargic in beach wear let alone moving around in bogu. This is for certain not my first summer in Japan, but this summer I did have a first experience.
In kendo it is generally expected that you put up with the uncomfortable, tough it out, suck it up, and so on. However it was this very attitude that landed me in the emergency room, unable to walk, hooked up to an IV drip for 3 hours. During practice at Shudokan I decided to soldier on in spite of feeling rather ill. It wasn’t until the room was spinning and I was ready to vomit, that I took off my bogu and stopped. At that point it was too late, I could no longer make it home on my own.
A quick internet search for “heat stroke and kendo” (*in Japanese) reveals a handful of documented cases of students dying from heat stroke during or just after practice. I think it is safe to assume that the cases that made the news are only the tip of the iceburg. Is the “tough it out” attitude in kendo dangerous? Should instructors be wary of people exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion? How does one know when enough is enough? In my case I was lucky enough to have my sempai looking out for me. Had I been alone that day who knows how I would have ended up?
What a weekend. What a seminar. What a line up of kendo royalty to teach the European masses. The seminar was led, as usual, by Sumi Sensei 8th Dan hanshi. It was assisted by Uegaki Sensei, Tashiro Sensei, Nagao Sensei and Mori sensei; all 8th dans. There were also about ten 7th and 6th dans assisting.
At the very first practice we were asked to leave the dojo and look at how our shoes were positioned. If they were neat and tidy we were mentally prepared for kendo, if they were scattered our mind also was scattered and we were not prepared for kendo. Uegaki Sensei emphasized the importance of fundamentals in kendo. He explained that if a sempei forgets to bow to shomen once a beginner would never do it. The importance of being a role model when it came to all aspects of kendo including shinai maintenance, sonkyo, seiza and rei is not to be underestimated.
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Not only when Seargent Pepper taught the band to play, but when I lived in Kansai doing pretty much the same kendo stuff as George is doing today. One of the real differences between then and now is that through the wonders of internet, email and skype etc., it is easy to let friends around the world share your experiences, whereas then, you were pretty much on your own. So it is a new experience for me to be able to dip into George’s blog and compare notes. Having moved back to the UK at the end of the 70′s, a lot of things have changed, but having visited fairly regularly for Kyoto Taikai and grading examinations, there are no real surprises.
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I only went to the old Noma dojo once. I watched keiko, I didn’t take part. The next time I had a chance to go, I made an excuse because – although I woke up early – I’d had a bit too much to drink the night before and was still a bit sleepy.
Soon after, Noma dojo disappeared from existence.
I regret a lot of things in my life, but this is probably my greatest kendo regret. I had multiple opportunities to go over the years, but didn’t take them for one reason or another, all of which seem quite superfluous today.
Looking at pictures and video of the dojo from various sources afterwards, one piece of calligraphy that used to hand on the wall stood out to me. It read: 剣徳世正 (kentoku seisei). Although there can be many definitions of the meaning for this, here is mine:
“Through the virtue of the sword make a correct society.”
Although the old dojo was replaced with a new one, for those of us that never had (or took) the chance to add our sweat to those of kenshi gone by, we can – I believe – continue at least part of the philosophy of Noma Dojo by contemplating the meaning of 剣徳世正 and, if possible, by making a pilgrimage to the new dojo and crossing shinai with the regular day-to-day members of the dojo. If you don’t, you may regret it.
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In this months kendo nippon I read a short article by a 8 dan I occasionally have the pleasure to fence. In the article he mentions a phrase “師弟同行” (shitei doko), and its this that I wish to examine briefly here.
There are two separate words here, so lets look at their definition:
師弟 (shitei) – teacher and student (the relationship between them).
同行 (doko/dokyo) – accompanying; travelling together; fellow pilgrim.
I think by looking at the above you’ve already got a good idea of the meaning. It basically means that both the teacher and the student are travelling the same path together. I say “teacher and student” but we can easily use it to describe other budo relationships such as “sempai and kohai” and “motodachi and kakarite.” The article talks about this relationship and how the more experienced person should act in a jigeiko situation.
He talks about how both people must do jigeiko with the idea of learning/studying kendo, not just the junior of the pair. As the senior grade, you can easily slip into just standing there and allowing yourself to receive blows, or to spent your time mostly teaching. In this way, you are not studying yourself, he says, and that it becomes hard to pull the most out from the junior of the pair.
Instead of this, raise your spirit to match – or even exceed – your opponent. Its your job to fight above their level. While you are fighting them look at their kendo and if you can find an area that is lacking, help to pull this up. Explain in words if necessary.
The junior of the pairs job is to attack with full spirit without worrying about getting hit. Look for chances and take them without hesitation, using any and all waza at your disposal.
If both the senior and junior person approach jigeiko in this manner, both sides will learn from the experience, and jigeiko should become more fulfilling and worthwhile.
If follows, of-course, that sometimes you are the senior, and sometimes you are the junior. This holds true for everyone, even 8 dans. We are, after all, on the same path.
Introduction
I am terrible at making things, but the following came out pretty good… so I will quickly share this simple DIY tsuki-pad solution with you. It should take no more than 5 mins to put together, and will provide hours of at-home-entertainment. Enjoy.
What you need
- foam for a sander/polisher (as thick as you need)
- sticky back square velcro patches (front and back, a little bit bigger or smaller than the foam should work)
- sticky back tape (1 square piece around the same size as the coasters)
- soft/flexible coasters (I used 4)
- strong tape
- strong post/area to put the tsuki-pad
- beer (1 or more)
Directions
- take your coasters and tape them together as shown in the diagram. Leave a small area in the middle to aim at if you like (as I did);
- take the sticky backed square tape and stick the coasters and the sander foam together;
- on the strong post / area you have selected to place your tsuki pad work out exactly the height you wish to place the tsuki pad. Ensure that the area can take impact and also that you have enough distance to correctly practise your footwork;
- stick the back piece of the sticky backed velcro onto your selected area;
- place the other piece of sticky backed velcro on the clean side of the sander foam;
- using the velcro, stick the foam to your selected area;
- practise a few tsukis. How is it?
- drink your beer in satisfaction.
Bonus
Since you’ve used velcro patches to stick the pad to your wall or wherever, you can easily make multiple height targets… for tsuki practise against people who are taller/shorter than you.
In 2006, Fujii Minoru sensei, Shihan of 北大剣道部, delivered an interesting lecture during a seminar and visit to the Kenshikan, Melbourne. Here is his lecture, in English, complete with diagrams!
Being a father of two kids, I don’t get to the dojo as much as I used to. So a lot of my training is at home using the uchikomidai and a lot of good ol’ suburi.
One of the interesting things I’ve found is that after hundreds and hundreds of suburi, the ability to count changes. At first I would count the actual numbers in my head. After a while the counting became just “unh, unh, unh, unh, unh…” but still there needed to be ten “unhs” for me to know how many I had done.
Now the counting is just a sense. It has for some reason defaulted to sets of twenty. The first ten is like the breath in, the second is the breath out. Interestingly, this makes it easier to do large sets, as I think of 100 suburi as being only “five”. Fifty is only 2.5, so I sometimes have trouble knowing what to do with the 0.5, or at least remembering to change over if I’m doing reps of fifty!
Of course this ‘sense’ in not infallible. Often I zone out briefly and lose track. The best solution then is to tack on an extra ten on the end of that hundred for good measure.
It’s a lot like how musicians count time: they not only know when a new bar is beginning, but they can sense when an 8, 12 or 16 bar sequence is coming to an end without having kept track by counting. In fact most of us can. b
Today I watched the 14th annual Osaka koryu embukai. There were around 15 types of koryu on display, iaijutsu, kenjutsu, naginatajutsu, jujutsu, kyubajutstu, etc… and it reminded me of a topic that I talk about semi regularly with my friends: Pure Kendo.
The term koryu is one that isn’t talked about in Japanese kendo circles except very infrequently. That the people who shaped modern kendo into what it is today all came from a koryu background is telling: kendo is indivisible from its koryu history. Or rather, it should be. Nowadays, however, most kendo people don’t even practise iaido, and couldn’t spot a Katori Shinto-yu kata from a Maniwa Nen-ryu one… if they have even heard the name. Kendo has lost its roots and exists for itself nowadays.
“So what?” you might ask. Personally, I think kendo can survive on its own and, in fact, that we’ve gone too far down the road to turn back. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Kendo has become more exciting, more energetic, and gained a lot of popularity for it.
However, if you are truly interested in learning about what kendo is and where it came from, serious study into the koryu is essential, at least in my opinion.
Ok, so everyone knows about the infamous/legendary Kyoto (Embu) Taikai. Founded way-back-when, this year was the 104th time. The embukai takes place in the Butokuden, which was completed in 1899 in Kyoto (next to Heian Jingu) and it served as the hombu dojo for the now defunct Butokukai (a new organisation exists with the same name however).
Anyway, the embukai goes over 4 days: the first day is koryu embu from various schools, followed by loads of naginata, some jodo, and an unbelievable amount of iaido. The second->fifth days are for kendo only, with people demonstrating from lowest grade/youngest age to highest grade/oldest age. The minimum requirement is 6 dan renshi, which makes the youngest possible age of around 32. The most senior people are often in their 90s, and the odd 9dan makes an appearance.
The format is a 2 point match over 3 minutes. If undecided its hikiwake. There is no competition perse, just your 3 minutes.
I called this post Kyoto Taikai EXTENDED for a reason. While the Kyoto Taikai is on (2nd-5th of May every year) this are other budo-related events happening in Kyoto on-and-around the same time: All Japan Iaido federations own embukai, 2 different koryu embukais (one at Shimogamo-jinja), plus Yabusame demonstrations. There is also the kendo-iaido-jodo 8 dan gradings, plus a morning kendo practise each day as well.
i.e. for the discerning budo tourist there is an unbelievable amount you can see in a week. There is also a healthy amount of supply-getting-chances as well, but thats another post….
Its starting to get hot here in Japan = gasshuku season is upon us.
If you have a look at the kanji for gasshuku its made of two commonly used kanji:
- 合: meaning to combine or fit
- 宿: mean to lodge
In the world of budo it refers to people of the same dojo staying somewhere together for a time in order to practise harder or more than usual.
Because its hot its also mandatory to drink vast quantities of beer/sake/shochu/etc … i’m beginning to think that this is the actual reason for holding a gasshuku anyway…
To grade in Japan seems to be on many kendokas list of “things to do in my kendo career,” almost as if passing a grade here means more. But does it?
First, the entire world basically follows the grading methods that are set out by the ZNKR. There are a few countries that are anomolous (Germany comes to mind), but on the whole everyone is pretty much standardised. At least on paper.
The big difference in Japan is of-course the infrastructure that supports kendo: no country (save maybe Korea) has the instructors, the quantity of keiko or shiai, nor the understanding of the populace at large (and govenment support) as Japan does. Children start young and they get very good. By the time they are leaving high school the good kids will be 3dan. In some countries thats a “sensei.”
So, do Japan earned grades mean more, less, or something different? Thats a hard question to answer. I think that the West is out of sync with Japan, especially with the lower ranks. Here is a general overview of the way it works (according to me!):
- Up to and including 3dan: you are a child in kendo terms;
- 4dan: now its time to start learning what kendo is;
- 5dan: a stepping stone between 4th and 5th dan, “am I on the right track?”;
- 6dan: a step away from being a proper teacher, time to get serious;
- 7dan: finally, you are at the level to teach. The end point for 99%+ of us;
- 8dan: something special.
Where do you fit in terms of grade in this? Where do you think you are in terms of kendo knowledge/ability/attitude in general, and does it fit your grade in the above list? Are you offended if say that your grade is a childs one? If so, why?
Of-course, this topic is very wide and can’t be summarised in its entirety… these are just some ideas!
