.jpg "8dan shiai")
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).
Read More Post a comment (17)In this series of articles, 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 fourth technique, Ukigumo.
Yonhon-me: Ukigumo
'浮き雲 / a floating cloud' by furbychan on Flickr.
Ukigumo is the fourth technique in Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. The execution varies somewhat between Musō Shinden-ryū and Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū, but the movement and feeling involved are much the same.
It is well-known that Hasegawa Eishin was an expert yawara (jūjutsu) practitioner. There is even a Hasegawa-ryū yawarajutsu that claims descent from him. The Hasegawa Eishin-ryū contains a good deal of grappling techniques, or techniques that may be effectively adapted for use in grappling, and Ukigumo is a prime example of this. Even without adapting the basic ’situation’ usually used to describe the waza, there are several clear grappling elements. The nukitsuke here may be treated not so much as cutting through but as applying the sword to the opponent. The sword is then used to take the opponent to the ground, where they are killed with a cut to a vulnerable area of the body.
Ukigumo means ‘floating cloud’ or ‘drifting cloud.’ It is an enduring image in Japanese poetry, notably appearing in a famous passage in the Tale of Genji. The Chinese word fúyún (浮雲), adopted into Japanese as fuun, has approximately the same meaning. The floating cloud is a metaphor for being restless and changeable. As with other imagery we have seen, it can also mean something ethereal or ephemeral that is liable to move or vanish.
Read More Post a comment (5).jpg "Footwork check")
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 a not uncommon sight on sword-related forums these days. An aspiring student of the Japanese sword arts, left-handed, joins the forum and asks about studying ken (be it kendo, iaido, or aiki-ken) with a left-handed grip. He is quickly informed that no, Japanese swordsmanship is a right-handed affair, that all Japanese swordsman were right-handed, saya were worn on the right and saya-ate avoided at all costs, and trying to learn it left-handed would be weird at best, uncouth and disrespectful at worst. Veteran lefties give him “Ganbare! I’ve been there, too!” encouragement. Righties tell him about all the things he’ll find easier because he’s lefty. Sometimes the lefty responds with resignation, and sometimes he rages against the system. The left-handed grip is natural for them! This adherence to right-handed grip only is outmoded, discriminatory, and stupid! This, predictably, turns just about everyone against him, lefty and righty alike.
Eikenkai – an informal group of friends in the Kansai area of Japan that seek to promote and develop kendo for the foreign community – had its final practise of the year on November 22nd.
We had people join keiko from the U.K. (most importantly Scotland, which all members accepted as the cradle of modern civilisation), America, Canada, Korea, Australia, and of-course Japan. “Local” members came from as far north as Aomori and as south as Nagasaki. Grades of the people involved went from shodan to nanadan.
In other words, it was a keiko with loads of different types of people, with different experiences, and different kendo stories to tell.
Keiko included warmup, suburi, introductions, 50 minutes of kihon, a 7dan taught basics session of 1 hour, and about 50 minutes of jigeiko. After that, there was a 5 hour drinking and eating session in one of the members restaurants (5 mins from the dojo). A lot of fun was had, stuff was learned, new friendships were made and old ones were renewed, and beer and mysterious Japanese “sake” (in unmarked) bottles was consumed in moderate quantities….
Eikenkai is an open keikokai for people coming to Osaka, and especially for non-Japanese kenshi who come to the area. Even if there is no chance to practise with the group itself due to scheduling issues, we can certainly help plug you into the kendo scene in the Kansai area.
For more pictures and information please check out the website: eikenkai.net
The following rule changes will probably not impact your kendo training any time soon nor in the near future. However, implementation of them in competition for young Japanese kenshi ensures that there will be a stylistic change in the kendo leaders of the future and it is also strongly hints at what the kendo leaders of today see as bad style.
The changes have been in discussion and trial over quite a while here in Japan (implementation was decided in May 2009, and I have personally seen the rules been applied in shiai), but it is only from this month (October 2009) where competitiors will get a hansoku rather than a warning, i.e. the rules go into full implementation.
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