public marks

PUBLIC MARKS from Takwann with tag iaido

March 2012

Koryu Batto and Modern Iaido - Shudokan Martial Arts Association

by Hunter Armstrong Sensei This article first appeared in the Winter 1996 issue of the SMAA Newsletter. Hunter B. Armstrong Sensei is one of a small number of non-Japanese to have legitimately studied the koryu, or ancient Japanese martial arts, in detail. He lived in Japan for quite a few years practicing directly under the soke, or headmasters, of more than one koryu. (Armstrong Sensei personally believes that koryu bujutsu can be defined as "traditions of fighting arts originating no later than the early Tokugawa era, and whose functional aims were the development of combat effectiveness, discipline, and morality, in that order.") A close associate of the late Donn Draeger Sensei, one of the world's foremost budo/bujutsu authors and historians, Armstrong Sensei succeeded Mr. Draeger as the Director of the International Hoplology Society.

Te-no-Uchi: Gripping the Sword in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido - Shudokan Martial Arts Association

by Nicklaus Suino Sensei This article appeared in the "SMAA Journal" Volume 14, Issue 2 Few arts present as many challenges of detail as does Japanese swordsmanship. One of the most misunderstood aspects of Eishin Ryu iaido is the proper grip on the handle of the iaito (iaido practice sword), called “te-no-uchi.” The grip is crucial because it is the final lynchpin in the transmission of power from the body, through the arms, and into the cutting edge of the sword. A correct grip also provides “feel,” which increases awareness of the sword’s position and helps guide the edge through the correct path in cutting.

January 2012

Consider defeat …

“In Iaido we always win against enemies” performing a kata slowly or quickly, result is the same … We win. Of course we are alone fighting against imaginary opponents and the scenario (Riai) says we win. How could we loose ? I did not deeply thought about this but writing it down suddenly gave me a strange feeling. Why should we be so sure (reassured) of the encounter result if we really live the kata, if we really live in the moment ?

The Myth of Chiburi? | [ kenshi247.net ]

n many iaido ryuha, chiburi is a fundamental part of kata. Chiburi, usually written 血振 in Japanese, literally means “shaking off blood,” and the image presented is that of flinging the blood of a defeated enemy off the blade with a deft movement before resheathing. Perhaps mainly due to the prevalence of Muso Shinden-ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, some people believe that chiburi is a universal aspect of iai. However, many ryuha do not practice chiburi, and there is the opinion – which has become more widespread recently, thanks to the sharing of knowledge via the internet – that shaking off blood in this way is in fact impossible. If this is the case, then what purpose does chiburi serve? Is it pointless? Why do some ryuha practice it? And was it really ever intended to remove blood from a blade?

Makkokara Kiriorosu Kawaguchi senseï 8° Dan Hanshi

Extrait Revue TORANOMAKI 2010 KAWAGUCHI senseï 8° Dan Hanshi Traduction : Corinne Marie dit Moisson et Tomoko Shimomura Je vais présenter kirirosu à partir de la position debout (tate), debout sur les genoux( irijiki ) et position à genoux( saeza). Aussi bien dans posture saeza et les autres, nous devons pouvoir couper dans n’importe quelles directions, d’où l’importance de couper avec le hasuji (tranchant) bien dirigé, d’utiliser correctement la main gauche, les hanches et le hara pendant la coupe. les iaidoka qui ne pratiquent pas le kendo ont du mal à utiliser correctement leurs pieds, comme okuri ashi (le pied qui avance) et hippari ashi (le pied qui suit).

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Nine – Takiotoshi | [ kenshi247.net ]

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. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the ninth technique, Takiotoshi. This is the final tanka translation in this series. I hope to follow it up with a short article looking at the poems as a group, the similarities between them, and how they relate to each other.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Eight – Namigaeshi | [ kenshi247.net ]

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. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the eighth technique, Namigaeshi.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Seven – Urokogaeshi | [ kenshi247.net ]

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. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the seventh technique, Urokogaeshi.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Six – Iwanami | [ kenshi247.net ]

by 1 other
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 sixth technique, Iwanami.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Five – Oroshi | [ kenshi247.net ]

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 fifth technique, Oroshi.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Four – Ukigumo | [ kenshi247.net ]

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.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Three – Inazuma | [ kenshi247.net ]

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.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part Two – Tora no Issoku | [ kenshi247.net ]

This is the second 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 second technique, Tora no Issoku.

The Tanka of Eishin-ryu: Part One – Yokogumo | [ kenshi247.net ]

Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū are the two most widely-studied schools of iaido in the world. Both were derived from Hasegawa Eishin-ryū, which was founded by Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin during the Edo period. Two generations later, the ryūha moved to Tosa, where it was transmitted until the modern era. Eishin, the seventh-generation shihan of Hayashizaki Jinsuke’s Shinmei Musō-ryū, was responsible for adapting that school’s battō techniques for the uchigatana, as well as creating a number of waza himself. The waza he created are today collected in both Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū at the Chūden level, in the set of techniques known as Tatehiza no Bu. This set may also be referred to simply as ‘Eishin-ryū’ or ‘Hasegawa Eishin-ryū.’

December 2011

JJSA - Journal of Japanese Sword Arts

The Journal of Japanese Sword Arts began life in 1989 as a monthly newsletter. More than 90 issues and almost ten years later it is still being produced. The Journal contains news, reviews, announcements, and in depth articles concerning all aspects of the Japanese sword. The Journal contains all the copy in The Iaido Newsletter, plus much more. Check out the JJSA Awards for sword related websites. The editor, publisher, and chief inking boy is Kim Taylor, a long time student of Japanese sword, and associate editor of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

Komei Juku - Maui, Hawaii Iaijutsu

The first line of each couplet describes a natural phenomenon and the following line makes the point for the first line’s statement. This poem is not haiku but has a similar structure that sets a scene and follows with an allusion to an iaijutsu waza. The placement of the poem after the listed description of the Chuden wazas in the makimono suggests that it is not intended to be descriptions of or technical advice about the Chuden wazas. Rather the poem’s purpose seems to be to communicate the spirit and attitude that the practice of iaijutsu should develop. Therefore the poem should lead to understanding the spirit of iaijutsu.

November 2011

L'histoire du Seitei Iai

Par conséquent, les officiels de la fédération recherchèrent les moyens de remédier à cette situtation indésirable (1966). Pour que les pratiquants de kendô puissent être mieux à même de comprendre la véritable essence de la "voie du sabre", on nomma onze experts hauts gradé en escrime, sous la direction d'Ôtani Kazuo, afin qu'ils constituent un comité (1967) qui ferait l'indispensable étude préliminaire, pour que soient désignées les techniques spécifiques de dégainement du sabre pouvant convenir à tous les pratiquants de kendô moderne.

October 2011

Iaido practice and warmup prior to class - YouTube

Some kata from Omori Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu. Shot by a friend with a Sony Cybershot. For more info go to www.doshikai.org

An Initial Set of Iaido Exercises and Drills - YouTube

This vid shares some of the warm-up exercises I do prior to class or substantial Iaido practice. There are exercises for stretching and strengthening the hands and fore-arms using a Suburi-to, basic drills to strengthen feet, legs, and posture, and lastly a few drills for sharpening Mae.

August 2011

Rare Footage: Haga Junichi, Genius Swordsman of Showa Period Kendo - YouTube

羽賀準一: 昭和剣道界の鬼才 Haga Junichi: Genius Swordsman of the Showa Kendo World Rare footage, plus old-style Kendo footage. This video is kindly provided to me by Fujimori-Sensei and Uki-Kaicho of Ikkenkai, Haga-Dojo, and uploaded with their kind permission.

June 2011

May 2011

Iaido Kakari Keiko Exercises | Idaho Kendo Club | Boise Idaho | Japanese Kendo and Iaido

You can download the PDF of iaido kakari keiko exercises that Yamasaki sensei teaches. These are useful for building up your basic iaido skills and body condition to support the performance of iaido kata.

Iaido Guidelines | Idaho Kendo Club | Boise Idaho | Japanese Kendo and Iaido

Iaido Guidelines Iaido Guidelines Memo: By Masano Suetsugu, Kendo Kyoshi 8 Dan, Iaido Kyoshi 7 Dan, Fukuoka Kendo Renmei, Kyushu Japan Suetsugu Iaido Memo Iaido Guidelines Memo by Masano SUETSUGU Kendo Kyoshi 8 Dan Iaido Kyoshi 7 Dan Fukuoka Kendo Renmei, Kyushu Japan Note: This text was written in 1993 prior to the introduction of seite forms #11 & #12. 1. Manners 2. Iaido Fundamentals 3. All Japan Kendo Federation Iai

January 2011

7. How did iaido originate? - Japanese Sword Arts FAQ

The above history of kendo/jutsu applies also to iaido/jutsu. In the latter half of the 15th century, Iizasa Ienao (also known as Iizasa Choisai) founded the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu. This ryu, and in the early part of the 16th century, the Tatsumi Ryu and Takenouchi Ryu all taught drawing as a formal part of their curriculum. These ryu all claim to be among the earliest to develop such skills.