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In the first four parts of this series, I translated the sections of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohan concerning waza for men, tsuki, kote, and do.  In part five I translated the sections about tsubazeriai and taiatari.  In this section, I translate the section on grappling (kumiuchi). 組打 Grappling （一）劍を打落し又は打落された場合 組打は敵から組み附いて來る時、又は劍を打落された場合に行ふものである。敵の劍を打落した場合には、其の機に乘じ直に撃込むのである。若し撃ち遲れたなら、敵を近寄らせず、壓迫して行く。我が劍を撃落された場合には、敵が次の技を起さない間に、直に飛び込んで組み附くのである。直に飛び込めぬ場合は一時飛び退き、隙を見て飛び込ものである。 (1) Striking Down the Enemy’s …

In the first four parts of this series, I translated the sections of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohan concerning techniques for men, tsuki, kote, and do.  As I wrote in part one, I originally planned to make a fifth entry translating the sections on tsubazeriai, taiatari, and grappling (kumiuchi).  However, the section on grappling was long …

In the first three parts of this series, I translated the sections of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohan describing techniques for men, tsuki, and kote.  In this part, I translate the section for do techniques. As in part two, I have included the section on how to strike do [胴の撃方] from the chapter on basic practice …

In parts one and two of this series, I translated the sections of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohan describing techniques for men and tsuki.  In this part, I translate the section for kote techniques. As in part two, I have included the section on how to strike kote [籠手の撃方] from the chapter on basic practice [基本練習]. …

In part one, I translated the section of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohon describing 18 techniques for striking men. Part two is 13 techniques for thrusting.  One important point not included in this section is that Takano sensei considers tsuki to contain three distinct techniques—mae zuki, omote zuki, and ura zuki—in the same way that men …

Discussions of pre-war kendo pop up from time to time with people proposing what it was like.  It seems that those proposals are often supposition based on what someone wishes or imagines it was like instead of the sources that are available.  To that end, I’m translating portions of Takano Sasaburo’s Kendo Kyohon into English. …