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The true meaning of rei is found in the midst of seriousness The following article was originally published in April 2011 and is by Ota Tadanori hanshi (see author bio below). I placed this article on my ‘to-do’ list a while back and picked it up randomly a few days back. With the 15th World …

Already well known in Japan, Osaka sports universities Sakudo sensei is becoming more and more well known outside of the country nowadays, so I thought I’d dig out a piece of kendo literature by him to share with kenshi247 readers. Here is a translation of a short description of ‘seme’ that was originally published in …

1. By the time you are in sonkyo you should already have your strategy in place: ‘As soon as you stand up, 1 – seme, 2 – seme, 3 – seme… pressure, pressure, pressure.’ ‘If you want to strike me men go ahead, do it! When you attempt to I will strike your dou.’ ‘Just …

This series of articles presents what I believe to be the first-ever English translation of the 19th Century Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). Based on the teachings of Nakanishi Tanemasa, a hugely influential swordsman of his era, this text covers technique and philosophy of the Ittō-ryū school of kenjutsu as well as …

400 years ago today, on April the 13th 1612, the most famous duel in the history of Japanese swordsmanship took place between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro*. Its so well-known that there is no point in adding any information here, as every single kendo, iaido, or probably practitioner of any Japanese budo knows the story! …

This series of articles presents what I believe to be the first-ever English translation of The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). This 19th-century work is based on the teachings of one of the most important teachers of swordsmanship in Japanese history, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa, whose lineage shaped kendo as we know it. …

In part one of this series, I presented the first installment of a translation of The Ittō-ryū Book of Oral Recollections (Ittō-ryū Kikigaki, 一刀流聞書). This text was written in the 19th century by Takano Mitsumasa, based on the teachings of his kenjutsu sensei, Nakanishi Chūbei Tanemasa. Nakanishi Tanemasa was a hugely influential teacher, whose line …

The importance of the Ittō-ryū school of kenjutsu in the history and development of kendo cannot be overstated. Generations of the most influential kendoka from the Bakumatsu to the early Showa eras (mid 19th-early 20th century) were students of this school. Much of modern kendo can find its origins in the teachings of Ittō-ryū. The …

During keiko, when you are struck by your teacher or a friend its really them giving you kind, wordless, advice: “Be careful, this is a weak point.” If you are resentful and think “damn it, I’ve been hit!” then – when you have reached the status of being able to take part in the Kyoto …

しない競技は、終戦後の廃墟と混迷の中から生い立った新しい競技である。 Shinai kyogi was a new sport that sprung up In the ruin and confusion of the post war period.” … is the first line of the chapter on Shinai-kyogi in the book “How to study kendo” that was published in 1965. It goes on to explain in a bit more detail: To say it …