SHIN - GYO - SO

During the October 2013 KNBK seminar in Pensacola, Carl Long Sensei introduced us to the the Shin-Gyo-So practice forms of the Ono-Ha Itto Ryu Kiriotoshi

The words 'shin, gyo, so' come from the three ways of writing in Shodo (Calligraphy), 'kaisho (equivalent to shin), gyosho and sosho'. Shin is a formal non cursive form, Gyo a semi-cursive one, and So is the cursive form.

" 無 " - MU - Nothing - brushed in the 3 styles

In the Itto Ryu practice, the distance between opponents (Mai) and the target of the cut are different for each one of the 3 different ways: Shin (真), Gyo (行) , So (草).

	SHIN (真)	GYO ( 行 )	SO ( 草 )
MAI	Long	Medium	Short
TARGET	Solar plexus, Suigetsu (水月 )	Throat, Nodo ( 喉 )	Head, Men ( 面 )

Practice intensely and repeatedly...

 

The new KNBK Website is live

This is to announce the New Website of the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kyokai.

 

The KNBK – Kokusai Nippon Budo Kyokai is an international organization dedicated to the preservation and continuation of the teachings of traditional Japanese koryu and gendai martial arts. Our primary focus is the preservation of the teachings of Masaoka Kazumi of Seito Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iai Heiho through it’s direct transmission over 21 generations.

The KNBK also preserves the teachings of Shindo Muso Ryu Jojutsu and the associated sogo bujutsu, Ono Ha Itto Ryu Kenjutsu and other modern forms of Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.

The organization was established in 2007 by Hanshi Masayuki Shimabukuro at the request of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai and Hanshi Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa.

KNBK Founding Chairman Emeritus & Soshihan – Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa

KNBK First Chairman & Soshihan – Shimabukuro Masayuki Hidenobu

KNBK Current Chairman & Soshihan – Carl E. Long

Visit the KNBK site and learn more about our history and activities.

 

ANNALS OF THE SWORD TAIA

The full text of Zen Master Takuan's letter is included in "The Unfettered Mind" a translation by William Scott Wilson of 3 texts about swordsmanship by Takuan.

In this post I only provide the Translation of the Chinese part of the text, without the Japanese commentaries of Takuan. I encourage you to read and consider them, then refer to Takuan's comments in the full version to reach a better understanding of this letter. 

       Presumably, as a martial artist, I do not fight for gain or loss, am not concerned with strength or weakness, and neither advance a step nor retreat a step. The enemy does not see me. I do not see the enemy. Penetrating to a place where heaven and earth have not yet divided, where Ying and Yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect.

     Well then, the accomplished man uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses the sword and gives others life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life. When killing, he kills in complete concentration; when giving life, he gives life in complete concentration. Without looking at right and wrong, he is able to see right and wrong; without attempting to discriminate, he is able to discriminate well. Treading on water is just like treading on land, and treading on land is just like treading on water. If he is able to gain this freedom, he will not be perplexed by anyone on earth. In all things, he will be beyond companions.

      Do you want to obtain this? Walking, stopping, sitting or lying down, in speaking and in remaining quiet, during tea and during rice, you must never neglect exertion, you must quickly set your eye on the goal, and investigate thoroughly, both coming and going. Thus should you look straight into things. As months pile up and years pass by, it should seem like a light appearing on its own in the dark. You will receive wisdom without a teacher and will generate mysterious ability without trying to do so. At just such a time, this does not depart from the ordinary, yet it transcends it. By name, I call it "Taia."

      All men are equipped with this sharp Sword Taia, and in each one it is perfectly complete. Those for whom this is clear are feared even by the Maras, but those for whom this is obscure are deceived even by the heretics. On the one hand, when two of equal skill meet at swords' point, there is no conclusion to the match; it is like Shakyamuni's holding the flower and Kashyapa's subtle smile. On the other hand, raising the one and understanding the other three, or distinguishing subtle differences in weight with the unaided eye are examples of ordinary cleverness. If anyone has mastered this, he will quickly cut you into three pieces even before the one has been raised and the three understood. How much more so where you meet him face to face?

     In the end, a man like this never exposes the tip of his sword. Its speed - even lightning cannot keep up with it. Its brevity - it is gone even before the quick wind of the storm. Not having such a tactic, if one, in the end, becomes entangled or confused, he will damage his own blade or injure his own hand, and will fall short of adroitness. One does not divine this by impressions or knowledge. There is no transmitting it by words or speech, no learning it by any doctrine. This is the law of the special transmission beyond instruction.

     There is no established rule for manifesting this great ability. Orderly action, contrary action - even heaven does not determine this. So what is the nature of this thing? The ancients said, "When a house does not have a painting of a Pai Che, it is like having no ghosts at all." If a man has tempered himself and arrived at this principle, he will control everything under heaven with a single sword.

For those who study this, let them not be thoughtless.

Notes :

• Takuan Soho was a Zen monk, calligrapher, painter, poet, gardener, tea master, and, perhaps, inventor of the pickle that even today retains his name. His writings were prodigious (the collected works fill six volumes), and are a source of guidance and inspiration to the Japanese people today, as they have been for three and a half centuries.
• Born in 1573 into a samurai family of the Miura clan, Takuan entered a monastery at the age of ten to study Jodo Buddhism, moving on to Rinzai Zen at the age of twenty-four. He becamethe abbot of the Daitokuji, a major Zen temple in Kyoto, at the young age of thirty-five.
• At the court of the Tokugawa Shogun, Takuan was in frequent contact with Yagyu Munenori of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, and Ono Tadaaki, second Grand Master of Ono Ha Itto Ryu. Both Munenori and Tadaaki were official sword instructors of the Shogun's family and his close retainers. Legend has it that Takuan was also the friend and teacher of the famous Miyamoto Musashi. (See the story of the Takuan, Musashi and the Snake)
• In his writings, Takuan emphasizes the unity of Zen and Sword, (Zen Ken Ichi Nyo), which deeply influenced the Great Masters of the time and produced a number of documents which continue to be read and applied, such as the Heiho Kadensho of Yagyu Munenori and the Gorin no Sho of Miyamoto Musashi.
• His letter Taiaki, "Annals of the Sword Taia," was written during his exile in the North between 1629 to 1632, possibly to Ono Tadaaki, Taiaki mostly is about the relationship between one's self and the other.

Taia was one of China's legendary swords. It was forged by the famous sword-smith Ou Yezi for King Zhao of Chu (r.515-489 B.C.)

The Pai Che is a legendary animal with a cow's body and a man's head. It eats dreams and misfortunes. In ancient China people they would display a picture of a Pai Che at the entrance of their house to ward off evil spirits.

Japanese fencing has no ‘blocking’ or ‘defending’ techniques

A very interesting idea...

"Japanese fencing has no ‘blocking’ or ‘defending’ techniques... It is useless simply to just stop or block the enemies attack. In deflecting or receiving a blade you must instantly turn it into an attack." (see the whole text below)

I never was very strong, and it is not going to get better with age. Whether in Karate or Kendo, I am reluctant to blocking a strong technique from my opponent, for I know that if that technique is very strong, it might well go through my block (I have a few of my Yoshukai friends in mind here : Travis Page, Paul Turner, James Ronnie...)
So I like the idea: no block, but deflect and counter in a same move.

The practice of Eishin Ryu Iai jutsu and Itto Ryu Kenjutsu, have helped me use that concept in Kendo shiai. The result is: less fatigue, I can last longer. Lasting longer is good, it helps you outlast your opponent until he is tired, then win. 

So, how do I apply this to Karate? I am not sure.  I am looking into this, and I'm not too successful so far. I have to find new techniques, and forget about the old ones, too strong, too straight. Little by little...

Takano Sasaburo (1863 - 1950) of the Ono Ha Itto Ryu, was an instructor at the Tokyo Shihan Gakko (Tokyo Teacher's College). The pPesident of the college was Kano Jigoro (1860 - 1938), founder of Modern Judo. (We are in good company...) The College housed the first department of Physical Education in Japan and was the first school to train martial art instructors for public schools.

Takano Sasaburo took the 68 shinai techniques of Chiba Shusaku Narimasa and reduced their number down to 50 techniques. He then revised  them so they could be practiced by school children using relatively short (but still longer than most steel swords) shinai.

Takano Sasaburo explained this teaching curriculum in a series of books still studied today.

Japanese fencing has no ‘blocking’ or ‘defending’ techniques. Against an enemy's attack, we evade, cut through their blade (kiriotoshi), or deflect and strike (ukenagashi). These cannot be categorized as blocking as these actions are done with the objective of cutting or thrusting the enemy. All these techniques are used to place yourself in an advantageous position. For example, when you are doing kiriotoshi the goal should be to cut the enemies body, and the instant you perform ukenagashi you must turn your blade and strike him. While doing this you must not even allow the tiniest opportunity for the enemy to attack you.

Its useless simply to just stop or block the enemies attack. In deflecting or receiving a blade you must instantly turn it into an attack. Simply blocking/stopping the enemies attack is not beneficial (in defeating your enemy).

Therefore, the merit of kendo is using “sen sen no sen” to take the lead and attack with strong resolution and overwhelming power, all the time without leaving any opening for the enemy to attack you. This will lead to a superb victory.

If you stop to think for a while, this method is not simply about flying blindly into an attack; rather it's about spending a long time working out when the right time is to attack, learning about what works when and what doesn’t (the principles)… only after you do this can you gain (true) victory.

(This is an excerpt from the excellent blog KENSHI247)

We can practice our arts in this way. Karate may be a little trickier, I will keep trying and let you know how I'm doing with it... There are a good supply of strong young stallions at the Dojo, always eager to see what they can do against the old man... There are even a few fighters I would rather have on my side than against me in a bar fight. I am thankful for them.  

"A vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire". 

There is no glory in winning if you take no risk.

And then, how about applying this to Zen ?

Zen and the Samurai : Yamaoka Tesshu

Yamaoka Tesshu was born in Edo (modern day Tokyo) in 1836. Tesshu was born into a samurai family. Tesshu practiced kendo from the age of nine, starting in the Shinkage Ryu Tradition. Later his family moved to Takayama where he studied Ono Ha Itto-Ryu.

When he was twenty-eight, Tesshu was defeated by a swordsman named Asari Gimei and became his student. Although larger and younger, Tesshu could not match his teacher’s mental state. During training sessions, Asari was known to force Tesshu all the way to the back of the dojo, then out into the street, knock him to the ground, and then slam the dojo door in his face. Confronted with this challenge, Tesshu increased his efforts in training and meditation continuously. 


Even when he was eating or sleeping, Tesshu was constantly thinking about fencing. He would sometimes wake up at night, jump out of bed, and get his wife to hold a sword so he could explore a new insight. Then, one morning in 1880, when he was 45 years old, Tesshu attained enlightenment while sitting in zazen.

Later that morning he went to the dojo to practice Kendo with Asari. Upon seeing Tesshu, Asari recognized at once that Tesshu had reached enlightenment. Asari, declined to fence with Tesshu, acknowledging Tesshu’s attainment by saying, “You have arrived.” 
  
Shortly after this, Tesshu went on to open his own school of fencing he named Mu To Ryu (Literally the School of No Sword).


Tesshu's Life is described by John Stevens in a beautiful book : The Sword of no Sword.

Wakigamae no Tsuke

We spent a great week end in Pensacola training with Carl Long Sensei. Lots of details of basics - Shoden Waza, Ono Ha Itto Ryu, Tachiuchi no Kurai...

We have reached the point where we have memorized the waza and can now get into the details that will help us improve them !


Wakigamae no Tsuke is the 5th Waza of Ono Ha Itto Ryu school of Kenjutsu.

It is here demonstrated by Masayaki Shimabukuro Sensei, Hanshi, and my friend Joe Byers, Niddan, in March 2009 at the Big Green Drum Dojo in Pensacola Florida.

Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi, hachidan (8th dan black belt) is a direct student of Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa, Hanshi, Jyudan (10th dan black belt) founder of the Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-kai, and current and 20th headmaster of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu iai-jutsu.