Volume 1 number 1 Nov 1989
A publication of very limited distribution: Send your stories, comments or announcements to Kim
Taylor, Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science, room 220, ext 6225.
AN IAIDO NEWSLETTER
This is the first issue of what we hope will be a forum for Iaido news and comment. The art of Iai is still small in North America but it is entering a period of growth. To encourage this growth some method of communication is needed amongst the various clubs so that we can share our expertise. Along with the expertise, the expense of bringing instructors from Japan is also something to be shared. If your club is presenting a seminar, send us the pertinent information and an address so that students from other clubs can attend. Every instructor and every style has something to contribute to the art, lets share that with each other.
This issue is going to all the clubs and individuals that we have an address for. Please help us
develop a mailing list by sending a copy of this newsletter on to any clubs you know of, or by
sending us their address. A copy of our mailing list is included here for everyone's benefit.
Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu
Mitsuru Asaoka, 2445 Cape Horn Ave. Coquitlam B.C. Canada.
Goyo Ohmi, 43 Milington Cr. Ajax Ontario, Canada. L1T 1R3
Luther Tsai, St. Micheals Collage U. of Toronto, 81 St. Mary St. Box 180, Toronto Ontario, Canada. M5S 1J4.
University of Guelph Iaido, c/o Mr. Kimberley Taylor, Department of Animal Science, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario, Canada. N1G 2W1.
Yugenkan Dojo, c/o Mr. Bill Mears, 100 Elmwood Ave. Crystal Beach Ontario, Canada. L0S
1B0.
Muso Shinden Ryu
Stephen Cruise, 10 Glenborough Pk. Willowdale Ontario Canada. M2R 2G5
Gregory Dana, 62 South St. Chestnut Hill Mass. USA. 02167.
Hatashita Dojo, 831 Broadview St. Toronto Ontario, Canada.
Japanese Swordsmanship Society, PO Box 1116 Rockefeller Stn. New York, New York. USA 10185
l'Aikido de la Montagne, 3734 Avenue du Parc, Montreal Quebec, Canada. H2X 2J1.
New England Aikikai, 2000 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge Mass. USA. 02140
F. Y. Okimura, 7557 de Normanville, Montreal Quebec, Canada. H2R 2V2.
Renbukan Dojo, c/o Mr. Tamio Tateno, 207 Nelson St. Brantford Ontario, Canada. N3S 4C2.
Pierre-Paul Rivet, 12 Desmarteau Boucherville Quebec. J4B 1Z9.
Valley Aikido, c/o Paul Sylvain, 131 King St. Northampton Mass. USA. 02140
Zanshin, Ecole D'Aikido et Iaido, c/o Donna Winslow, 5425 Bordeaux #503D, Montreal Quebec,
Canada. H2H 2P9
CLUB O' THE MONTH
Write us an introduction to your club for inclusion in the newsletter. Tell us your practice times, fees and style(s) practiced. We'll start it off.
Name The University of Guelph Iaido club. (Part of the Sei Do Kai)
Practices Room 204, U. of G. Athletics Centre. Monday and Wednesday 9:15 to 10:45 PM, and Sundays 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
Instructors Goyo Ohmi Sensei of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and Stephen Cruise Sensei of the Muso Shinden Ryu.
Fees The program is run under the instructional program and costs $28 per semester (four months). Students must also have an ath letics membership card. Visitors to the area are welcome to drop in for practice. (No charge).
Style Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and the Sei Tei Gata Iai of the Japan Kendo Federation.
TECHNICAL NOTEBOOK
The Sei Tei Gata Iaido of the Japan Kendo Federation is one of the modern sets of Iai kata that were developed to allow students of different Koryu to practice a common style. It is proposed that each issue one kata from this style will be described. Since the Sei Tei Gata seems to be in constant flux, every attempt to provide the most recent teachings will be made. These are from notes taken by members of the Sei Do Kai at various events and with different instructors. A description of the kata and some notes and hints from the instructors are presented.
We hope that you will have further insights on the techniques and will write to us with your own
notes and observations. These we will publish for the general benefit.
(IPPONME) MAE (front advance)
This technique is roughly equivalent to Mae of Muso Jikiden, or Shohatto of Muso Shinden Ryu.
Sit in seiza facing forward. The opponent is seated in seiza facing you, at a distance of one and one half meters.
As you sense his will to attack, cleave his temple and then cut him downward.
NUKI TSUKE
The opponent threatens and moves toward his sword but does not rise up onto his knees.
Since the tsuka is carried in the middle of the body, both hands will contact the sword at the same time as you lift them up. Rise onto the knees at the same time as you draw. The kashira rises to the same height as the horizontal cut, and the blade is turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise to a flat position in preparation for this cut. The kashira points at the opponent's centreline. With one to three inches of blade left in the saya, perform the cut. Pull the saya back into the obi and as the kissaki is clear, around to the rear as far as it will go. When the tip is clear cut horizontally across from the left to the right. The tip stops just inside the line from your right shoulder forward.
Make sure that at this moment your right foot and left shin are both lined up directly toward the front. The legs must be bent at the knees at an angle of 90 degrees.
On the draw the kashira ends up at the level of the cut, and the edge is flat to give the proper cut angle. This is different from Muso Jikiden Ryu which aims the kashira at the suigetsu for nuki tsuke.
Perform saya biki with the little finger of the left hand in contact with the obi. Don't bend the left wrist as you grasp the saya. Nuki tsuke must be all one motion, draw and cut.
Rise and thrust out the hips strongly, don't let the stomach collapse.
The cut finishes with the point down and the edge down. (Mae and Ushiro) The initial cut is parallel to the floor or very slightly down. There is a strong stamp on this cut, this is a different feeling to a silent cut. The cut finishes inside your right shoulder, not outside as in Omori Ryu.
KIRI TSUKE
You must move forward to hit the opponent with kiri otoshi. Moving the tip first and keeping power there, swing the sword around to the left and lift it to jodan. The sword should move back in a potential stabbing motion by the left ear. The right fist moves past the centreline and then up as the left hand rises to the tsuka. The tsuba passes by the forehead or just slightly lower, don't block your vision. The tip of the sword must not be allowed to drop lower than the tsuka at any time during this motion.
At the same time as the sword is raised to jodan the left knee slides forward to the right heel. This will give approximately one half metre of distance. From jodan, kiri otoshi is performed at the same time as the right foot is moved forward to reestablish the square stance of the legs. The sword finishes with the tsuba just in front of the right knee the tip slightly down. The Kashira should be lined up directly in front of the navel.
When the blade is moved back to jodan, th tip stays up, and the blade parallel with the floor. At the top there should be no hesitation before the cut, yet there should be no feeling of rushing either. For beginners it may be a good idea to pause for a slight moment to make sure that the grip is proper and that the left hand is set to perform the cut. For beginners the jodan should also be very high above the head.
The cut is a big motion, the tsuba finishing in front of the right knee. The hands are not pulled back toward the tanden. The kissaki ends perhaps 1 to 2 inches below horizontal.
Don't lean forward into cuts, keep the body straight. The back remains vertical and the hips square forward.
Seated cuts must be large and forward as well as down. If the cut is powerful enough the knee will move up toward the front foot in an okuri ashi motion.
CHIBURI
This is the first of three types of chiburi in Sei Tei Gata.
The sword is moved to the right front, around to the right rear in a stabbing motion, and up to the head as if to salute. Bring the left hand to the left hip just over the saya. Keep the fingers and thumb together. At the top of the "salute" the right wrist should be well depressed and the blade edge aimed upward. The edge is moved up and over as the sword is snapped down to clean the blade. The angle is the same as for a kesa giri.
Move the sword from the tip not the wrist.
The motion used to end with the blade edge at a flat angle. Now it finishes with the edge in line with the angle of the downward snap.
The kissaki stops, pointing just beyond the fallen opponent and the angle of the edge is such that
you cannot see the cutting surface. The right arm is at a 45 degree angle from horizontal and the
bottom of the right wrist is at the same height as the top of the left wrist as it is on the obi. The
right hand is just in front of the line of the hips. The blade is at a 40 to 45 degree angle
downward.
Watch the opponent carefully, this is a zanshin.
As the sword is moved down from the top position stand straight up into a right hanmi position. Keeping full zanshin and not moving anything else. Now bring the left foot up to the right. The back remains straight and so moves forward as a unit with the hips. Squeeze the knees together as you shift the weight from the right leg to the left. Now draw the right foot back to establish a left hanmi position.
Always move the sword from the tip, not the wrist. The chiburi action is like shaking water off of an umbrella.
NOTO
For reasons of safety, the students of Muso Shinden and Muso Jikiden perform their own noto.
The Muso Shinden noto is as follows. Move the left hand up the saya to the koiguchi and grasp so that the index finger and the thumb circle and cover the saya mouth. Check the kurigata at this time to make sure that the saya is in the correct orientation to accept the blade. Move the koiguchi forward and right to the centreline. Turn the saya counterclockwise one quarter turn so that the curve is horizontally oriented with the opening pointing 45 degrees to the right front. The blade is moved so that the mune, about 10 cm from the tsuba, contacts the webbing of the left hand. The blade should now form a 90 degree angle with the saya, the edge should be flat and the whole assembly in the horizontal plane.
Pull the saya back into the belt and move it around to the left in a saya biki motion. At the same time move the right hand straight forward. Keep the koiguchi and the mune in contact and at a 90 degree angle. As the kissaki clears the webbing of the left hand and is inserted into the saya the blade and scabbard should line up at a 45 degree angle to the right front. During this motion keep the saya and the sword horizontal.
Don't pinch the blade but beginners can support the sword with the index finger for a short time while learning.
Move the sword into the saya and sink down onto the right knee. When there is about 1/3 of the blade left outside the saya begin to turn the koiguchi clockwise until the blade edge points upward again. Keep the blade and the saya in the same plane and finish the motion as the right knee touches the floor and the tsuba touches the saya.
For Muso Jikiden proceed as follows. Slide the left hand up the saya to the koiguchi. Check that the kurigata is facing out (and thus that the saya is in the proper position). Grasp the saya with the last three fingers, the index finger and thumb beyond the koiguchi. Touch the tips of these two fingers so that the koiguchi is covered with the fingers and the web between them.
If the tip is allowed to drop as you move the blade to the koiguchi, the opponent will have a suki to attack.
The mune is brought directly to this web so that it makes contact about 10 cm from the tsuba. The edge of the blade is pointing straight up at this point. Both hands now move to draw the mune over the web. The left hand pulls the koiguchi into the belt and also raises it so that it points at the ceiling. The right hand moves out to the right front at 45 degrees and at the same height, until the kissaki clears the web. This move is fairly quick.
The saya and the blade must agree with each other as you draw the blade over the koiguchi. Don't drop or raise the tsuka, or move it around. The blade must move straight out and straight back again on the same line.
When the kissaki is clear of the web it is in position to go into the koiguchi. This is done by moving the koiguchi down again so that the saya and the blade are now aligned. Both are horizontal and at an angle of 45 degrees to the front. The hands again move together to slowly slide the blade into the saya. The tsuba at the finish of the noto is directly in front of the tanden. As the blade slides into the saya you slowly drop down onto the right knee so that it touches the floor at the same time as the tsuba touches the koiguchi. The angles should be 90 again.
Either noto is fine
Rise to a standing position and move the right foot up to the left. Release the tsuka with the right hand and drop it directly to the right side. Starting with the left foot step back three full steps then bring the right foot back to the left at the original position on the floor.
Draw the kissaki to the koiguchi quickly, then sheath it slowly. The noto starts close to the habiki on the mune. The sheathing action of noto is not fast, even for the katas derived from Okuden.
Keep the little finger of the left hand on the belt. When the sword is to be inserted into the
koiguchi, the left hand moves the saya, the kissaki remains still.
GLOSSARY
Ashi, foot
Biki, move or pull eg. saya biki
Chiburi, "shaking off the blood"
Dojo, Place of practice
Gata, or Kata, form
Giri, or Kiri, cut
Habiki, fitting that wedges into koiguchi
Hanmi, stance
Ipponme, first
Jodan, high
Kai, school or stream of teaching
Kashira, fitting at end of tsuka
Kata, form
Kesa, sash worn diagonally hip to shoulder
Kiri, cut
Kiri Kudashi, finishing cut
Kissaki, tip of blade
Koiguchi, "fish mouth" opening in saya
Koryu, traditional schools
Kurigata, Knob for sageo (cord) on saya
Mae, forward
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Noto, putting away the sword
Nuki, draw the blade
Obi, belt
Okuden, "hidden", upper level of teaching
Okuri Ashi, shifting the following foot
Omori Ryu, first level of instruction
Otoshi, drop or dropping
Ryu, school or lineage of instruction
Saya, scabbard
Sei, calm or quiet
Seiza, seated on both heels
Sensei, instructor
Shohatto, first technique, Muso Shinden
Suigetsu, solar plexus
Suki, opening
Tanden, point below the navel
Sei Tei, representative
Tsuba, guard
Tsuka, handle
Tsuke, pointing
Ushiro, behind
Zanshin, "lingering heart" awareness