THE IAIDO NEWSLETTER

Volume 2 number 7 absolute #9 DEC 1990

A publication of limited distribution: Send your stories, comments or announcements to Kim Taylor, Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science, (519)824-4120 ext 6225 FAX (519)836-9873 PHOTOCOPY AND SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER!

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SEMINARS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

It is with great pleasure that Sei Do Kai Iaido would like to announce that Mr. Matsuo Haruna Sensei 7 Dan of Okayama prefecture, Japan, has accepted our invitation to visit. Haruna Sensei will be here at the end of June 1991, which coincides with the World Kendo Championships and not incidentally, with the Iaido Gradings that will be held July 1.

Sensei will be giving a seminar of approximately 5 days to be held at the University of Guelph. The details are being finalized but there will be inexpensive student residence accommodation available. In order to establish an idea of how many people will be attending, (and thus, the costs) would those interested please contact Kim Taylor, Department of Animal Science, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario, Canada. N1G 2W1. (519)824-4120 ext 6225 FAX (519)836-9873. Please note that the seminar will likely concentrate on Sei Tei Gata and students of all styles will find it useful, especially those who wish to test.

Send all information on seminars etc. to the editor as soon as possible. It's incentive to publish the next issue.

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CLUB O' THE MONTH

Write and tell us about your club, when do you practice, what style, are visitors welcome, let us know what's happening.

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LETTERS

I read with great interest Volume 2 Number 6 of the Iai-Do Newsletter, and found Okimura Sensei's articles most informative. In keeping with this depth of study, I would like to pose a few questions to the readership, to elicit information which I have not found elsewhere.

1. We train using only the Daito in Seiteigata, how are the waza altered if a Shoto is added? Or are they? Or is the Shoto only Koryu?

2. In the normal configuration of the later feudal epoch, the Katana and Wakizashi were the most popular combination for the Samurai to wear, yet the Wakizashi impedes movements greatly, is it therefore reasonable to assume that a Samurai wearing Katana and Tanto was the equivalent of what was referred to as a "tied down gun".

3. The Koshirae of the feudal epoch often contain the obi restraint (Soritsuno) a small hook like projection approximately a hands width from the Kurigata, could it be said that this was a feudal form of social control; rendering Ate Gashira type waza impossible.

4. Traditionally the Daisho was worn when outside, the Obi was tied at the rear, sometimes when traveling a sort of waist bag was tied at the point where the Koshiita is found today, my question is simple, how did the Samurai make Ukemi?

5. When did the Koshiita come into being, and why. (Many feudal epoch Hakama in Museum collections do not have it).

6. The Sageo is tied into a knot close to the Kurigata, was this always so, were there other uses for the sageo?, other than as a poor form restraint.

7. In the feudal epoch, the action of Saya Ate was often the prelude to an encounter of the final kind, what methods were used to prevent this action.

I would appreciate any information on the forgoing points which have baffled my brain for some time.

Malcolm Copp-Taylor

Yugenkan Dojo, England.

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Here are some thoughts from Goyo Ohmi Sensei of Sei Do Kai on these questions. They were taken down by your trusty editor in the refreshment place after a practice so any inaccuracies are his fault, not Sensei's.

1. The shoto is not used in Seiteigata which is a very new style. Only a few forms of Koryu use the shoto, one example would be the Takenouchi ryu and a photograph can be found in Warner and Draeger's "Japanese Swordsmanship" P.97. The Muso Jikiden/Shinden lineage does not use the Shoto.

2. When the shoto is worn it is arranged in such a way that it is flat against the hara, out of the way of the Daito. In this position it should not interfere in any way with the use of the Daito. Incidentally, the Samurai men did not wear the Tanto (a blade less than one Shaku), although the women almost always carried one hidden inside the clothing.

3. The belt restraint, also called an Obi Dome, did indeed stop the saya from being pulled out of the belt. This was its function. See note 6 for more information on this point.

4. The simple answer is that the Samurai did not do Ukemi. With two swords and their saya thrust through the belt falling down was something they did not advise. If you were thrown it was for real and true, in such a way as to likely cause broken bones and necks. It would be impossible to do ukemi as is done in say, Aikido wearing the saya. Without the saya a roll can be done that avoids the belt knot and in any case some simple breakfalls can be done onto the right side but to intentionally fall down, very strange idea.

5. The koshiita is a part of the Hakama. There are some peasant pants that do not contain the back plate but these cannot be properly called hakama. As to the function of the Koshiita, ... style?

6. The tying of the sageo to the hakama strings is a "new" thing. The original way of using it was to tangle it around the belt and saya so that the saya stayed where it was put, in the belt. The Obi Dome also served this purpose. In this method of tying the sageo the saya stays with you on the battlefield. [The modern way of tying will allow the saya to come out and then drag along after you like a boat anchor until it snags on a rock or someone steps on it.] This means that the tsuka ate type waza must be "new" as well. The sageo would be knotted at the kurigata to prevent it from wandering around or slipping completely off of the saya. Other uses for the cord included tying up prisoners and tying up the sleeves of the kimono before going to work. It was a general purpose easily available piece of cord.

7. There were quite strict rules of etiquette to be followed to avoid giving any offence, including saya ate. One of these is the method of passing always on the left, this is reflected in the way the Japanese drive today, on the left side of the road. North Americans drive and tend to pass each other on the right. One of the more dim witted students suggested that the edo style of carrying the daito almost straight down the leg might have been a way to avoid saya ate but this was revealed to be simply another fashion like spiky green hair amongst the kids.

While looking for the book that would provide me with supreme enlightenment, one on Japanese costume fell off the shelf. Some further information on the uniform. -Kim.

HAKAMA

The Haniwa clay figures which date from the Yamato (200-500 AD) seem to be wearing a 3/4 length tunic with tight sleeves and baggy hakama tied at the knees. From the 6th to the 8th centuries Japanese dress was of mainly Chinese influence with soft flowing robes and lots of great hat styles. From the 8th to the 12th century the robes were very large and had long trains. In the late Heian period (9th century AD) both men and women wore Hakama with lots of voluminous robes. These were usually red in colour.

From the 12th to the 16th century men still wore the bulky robes but women began to wear the kosode or short sleeved topcoats with the red hakama, getting rid of the loose kimono and trains. This was first common amongst the samurai women of the Kamakura (1185- 1333). Toward the end of the Muromachi (1333-1603) the women stopped wearing the hakama and adopted the more usual kimono we associate with them.

By the start of the Edo (1603-1868) the men had dropped the silks of the earlier age in favour of plain fabrics and had begun the kimono under a kamishimo or vest along with a hakama. This is the costume we associate with the samurai, and is essentially what we wear for Iai, with the exception of the kamishimo. There is no mention of the Koshiita in this book.

OBI

Before the Kamakura era the obi was simply the top fastening for the hakama. In the Kamakura the obi was linin, about 2 to 3 inches wide and tied in front in a simple knot with the ends left hanging down. This fashion is seen in paintings up to the end of the 16th century. In the Muromachi the obi was often made of silk.

During the Momoyama (1534-1603) the obi became a little wider and was still of silk. It now came in a variety of plaids and checks. The women of the court wore obi of silk with floral designs. This obi was about 2 inches wide and was stiffened with paper. It was wrapped and the ends simply tucked in without being tied. In the great fires of 1657 and 1661 these obi were described as flying open and flapping around as the women fled the city. After that obi were securely tied. In the Genroku they were of almost infinite variety.

The obi was tied in front up to the start of the 1600s but by the later years of the century were tied at the side by a butterfly knot. During this time they got a little wider. At some point the obi began to be tied in back with the ends hanging down like dogs ears after the style was popularized by an actor who had seen it worn that way by a dyer's daughter while she worked at the vats. Today the men's obi for everyday use is about 4 inches wide and is tied in a bow. The formal obi is striped and stiffer than this. It is tied in a double knot behind the back.

-from "Japanese Costume", 1963, H.B. Minnich, Tuttle, Tokyo ========================================================

CANADIAN KENDO FEDERATION GRADING REQUIREMENTS

Here are the current CKF grading requirements for Kendo. Iaido grading requirements will quite probably be the same with the addition of a written examination that is usually required from 4 Dan and up. Please note that there is no official Iaido section as yet and this information may not reflect the Iai requirements when they are set.

Kyu tests are $15.00 and Dan tests are $20.00. Practice times are minimum times from the previous test.

DAN/KYU PRACTICE TIME LOWEST AGE GRADE FEE
Ikkyu -- -- $15
Shodan 3 Months 14 $30
Nidan 2 years 16 $50
Sandan 2 years 18 $80
Yondan 3 years 21 $120
Godan 4 years 25 $170
Rokudan 5 years 30 $220
Nonadan 6 years 36 $320
Hachidan 10 years 48 to 75
Kyudan after 8 Dan 65


TECHNICAL NOTEBOOK

SEI TEI GATA MAE OF THE JAPAN KENDO FEDERATION

by Don Harvey 5 Dan ZNKR Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, Kenseikai, England.

The following is an excerpt from a book being written by the author.

Copyright c Don Harvey all rights reserved. No copying of this material in any form whatsoever, electronic or mechanical, except as part of this newsletter in its normal distribution is permitted without permission in writing from the author.

The following article contains a detailed analysis of Seitei Iai Mae. It represents the extent of my understanding to date in so far as it can be written down. As such, any comments, additional detail, disagreement etc. is invited.

Before beginning the detailed description I would like to describe one of my favorite breakfasts. What has this to do with Iai? Bear with me... "My breakfast consists of the pounded seeds of a cultivated grass mixed with water and live bacteria. After heating and cutting into slices it is spread with the congealed mammary fluid of a cow, cut into strips and dipped into the partially cooked unfertilized embryo of a bird..." Of course, this is toast 'soldiers' and soft boiled egg! If in a morning I had to consider the detailed description of my breakfast than I would probably skip it and miss out on something that I really enjoy! Back to Iai. The same applies, this detailed analysis is a reference only and the detail is intended to be incorporated gradually as your capacity and skill allows.

The entire form should be performed as a single unit. The best way is within a single breath cycle. Every action both physical and 'of the spirit' is done smoothly and continuously. Clear definition between 'hard' and 'soft' actions should be demonstrated. The integrity of individual actions should not be compromised by going too fast. Each cut must be sharp, focused, meaningful and demonstrate correct judgment of distance ("ma- ai").

SEIZA

Take the "seiza" posture facing the front. As you kneel do not look at the floor, rather keep your gaze to the front. Ensure that you position your knees and hands so that once in the posture no further adjustment is necessary. The knees are both sides of the north-south line at one fist distance apart. The hands rest on the top of the thighs with the thumb slightly tucked in to the palm. If you were to extend the hands down the thigh towards the knee the index and forefinger of each hand would be just to the inside edge of each knee.

The breath is taken in through the nose with the tongue on the roof of the mouth and the chin slightly pulled in but not tense. The breath is taken into the abdomen rather than the chest. Exhalation is through the mouth. Do not breath in such a way as the cycle can be clearly observed by the opponent. Once in posture begin your breathing cycle. Do not focus upon the potential opponent to the front, rather keep an open gaze (enzan no metsuke).

OPENING MOVEMENT

The opponent to the front begins to move. The pressure from your "tanden" increases. At the beginning of the exhaling cycle bring your hands smoothly onto the "tsuka" and "saya". The thumb pushes the "tsuba" releasing the "habaki" from the mouth of the saya. Make sure the thumb comes to the right hand side (your body side) of the tsuba not to the centre of the tsuba directly over the blade edge.

As you begin to draw the sword, push the "tsuka-gashira" smoothly but strongly to the centre north-south line simultaneously using The left hand to begin to raise the saya so that the draw is made forward and upward towards the opponent's face. Do not immediately start to move the posture, rather time the beginning of the posture movement to start after a few centimetres of the blade have been drawn.

The posture movement onto the knees should look as if your body is being pulled vertically upward by your hair. The driving force here is the muscles in the legs, thighs and buttocks. A common fault is to rise by shifting the weight forward with the head and shoulders. As the posture rises up the draw is continuing smoothly but strongly towards the opponent's face. At a distance between one third and two thirds of the length of the draw, use the left hand holding the saya to turn the blade outward to the horizontal, this is a smooth action not a sudden turn. Once the posture is raised onto the knees, turn the toes under and spread the feet either side of the north-south line about hip width apart. This action is not a dragging of the top of the toes until they curl under, rather the feeling is of almost balancing on the knees so that the toes can cleanly turn under.

The drawing of the sword is approaching its climax; the point of "saya banari" . Throughout the draw the motion has been smooth, strong (pushing feeling), continuous and at a constant speed. Up to this point the pressure on your opponent has been from your "tanden" ie. focusing from the lower abdomen and from the centre of your head, the physical pressure has come from the tsuka- gashira. Towards the end of the draw additional pressure is applied by using "kensen", this feeling is of using the

"monouchi" as it appears from the saya as a threat(?) or perhaps as a deterrent(?). Before the sword is completely clear of the saya begin the "nukitsuke", this is saya banari, it is at this time also that "saya biki" begins. The shape of the "boshi" allows this to happen.

NUKITSUKE

As the sword travels in its arc towards the target the little finger of the right hand is pulling the tsuka and the area of the right hand at the root of the thumb and forefinger is pushing the tsuka. Kensen is strong, focused at the monouchi. As the saya is pulled down and round in the "obi" the thumb of the left hand covers the "koiguchi", the little finger of the left hand remains in contact with the "himo" (hakama straps) at all times during this movement. The movement finishes with the saya horizontal and the "kojiri" clearly visible from the front, at your right side. The cut begins as the monouchi makes contact with the right side (your left) of the opponent's head at brow height. During the continuous movement of the draw the right foot has advanced from the toes under position to the front with the foot flat on the floor. As a guide the foreleg or shin should be approximately vertical, the best position is where a vertical line dropped from the knee would pass through the ankle bone. It is not usual to stamp the foot into place. A common fault here is to move the foot out too far causing the left thigh to curve excessively back. Make sure you do not step too narrow ie. on or close to the centre line, or too wide, maintain the hip width of the posture.

The opponent is not a static, flat, cardboard cut-out but a dynamic three dimensional object. The cut is made starting with the monouchi cutting across for 18 to 25 centimetres at brow height with the feeling that the cut is getting shallower so that if the opponent's head remained in the exact same spot for the duration of the cut then the "kissaki" finishes just clear of his left temple (your right side). During the cut "tenouchi" is applied by the right hand, the percentage grip as a guide is the little finger at 100% the next finger at 80% the index and forefinger at 20%, the palm heel at 100% and the area at the root of the thumb and forefinger at 100%. At the same time as applying tenouchi tighten the muscles of the ham-string, buttocks and the "seika tanden" this is achieved as a single action by tightening the rim of the anus.

At this point in time the hips are at approx. 45 degrees. The left hand is pulled in saya biki well round at your left hip. The right arm is extended at the completion of the cutting action. The kissaki is at the same height as your right nipple, the inside edge of your hand at the base of the thumb is flat with the wrist (kiri-te). The knuckles of the right hand are slightly turned upward, the top of these knuckles are at the same height as the shoulder. Given the height of the kissaki, knuckles and shoulder the correct slope to the sword is achieved. The sword blade position is with the flat side of the sword between the "shinogi" and the "ha" horizontal, ie. parallel to the floor. The completion of the cut is a "kime" or focus point. Do not maintain the tension in either the upper or lower body after the cut is complete, however, do not relax to the point where the kissaki dips. The kissaki height is maintained after the kime by upward pressure using the top side of the thumb on the tsuka and maintaining a tight grip with the little finger of the right hand. All of the preceding movement has been accompanied by a steady exhalation of breath. The "metsuke" is directly forward towards the opponent in an imaginary line parallel to the floor.

FURI KABURI

The end of the first cut should not be felt as a stop or pause point in the form. Although the physical tension in the muscles is released somewhat after the kime the pushing feeling ("semeru") remains. As soon as the kime is reached the left hand begins to return the saya to its front rest position. Once this movement has started the left side of the hip begins to push forward thus squaring the hips. The hip movement drives the left knee sliding up to a line level with the heel of the right leg. Do not slide the knee in towards the centre line, keep it parallel to the north-south line.

Once the posture has begun to move, the right wrist begins to turn in so that the relative position of the sword to the opponent does not change despite the forward movement of your body. This movement of the sword maintains kensen. Pressure is applied strongly as the monouchi moves in front and parallel to your opponent's face. Do not tense the muscles in your arms and shoulders while doing this move. The sequence of events to this point is... Kime, left hand (plus saya), left hip, sword and left knee slide. All these actions are made as smooth continuous movements.

The kissaki continues to move rearward and very slightly upward at about 10 o'clock, the "mune" at about one third down from the kissaki will pass at the left side of the head at the height of the top of the ear about 10 centimetres out from the ear. At this point the tsuba is in front and above the left eye, the right hand is in the centre line of the head, on the north-south line. The left hand will have by now returned the saya to the centre position and will just have moved to a position above shoulder height on its way to gripping the tsuka. The metsuke is towards the opponent under the sword. Do not cross the centre line with the right hand during this movement, use the little finger of the right hand to control the height of the kissaki avoiding a dipping of the tip. This movement from the end of the nukitsuke to the "kaburi" is called "furi kaburi". As the left hand comes on to the tsuka the hands push upwards into kaburi with a feeling of pushing the kissaki. The maximum line of the sword in kaburi is parallel to the floor, never let the tip dip below horizontal. The sword does not pause in this position but begins the "kiritsuke" movement straight away.

KIRITSUKE

The movement begins with the kissaki not the tsuka. the kissaki moves in the maximum arc possible, the cut begins as the monouchi comes into contact with the top of the opponent's head, at this point the arms are fully extended (without being locked at the elbow) at about shoulder height. Tenouchi is applied with the percentage finger grip of both hands the same as described previously for the nukitsuke. For the duration of the cut the same lower body muscles as before are tensed thus tightening the rim of the anus. Do not use the top shoulder muscles to excess during the cut, rather tighten the muscles at the top side of the chest just in front of the armpit.

The cut finishes at one fist's distance in front of the stomach. During the cut there is a constant exhalation of breath, again do not exhale totally, rather stop the outflow of breath at the kime of the cut. During the cut the right foot slides (not steps) forward so that the shin is vertical, this movement is driven by the hips. Take care not to move the foot too far forward. The feeling in the arms at the end of the cut is one of slightly pushing the elbows outward, do not lock the elbows. The blade is slightly down, the kissaki about the same height as the top of the habaki.

Do not maintain tenouchi after completing the cut, it should be possible to slide either hand up and down the tsuka immediately the cut is finished. Do not relax too much so that the kissaki dips, use the little fingers to control kissaki height. The muscles relax in both upper and lower body. Do not relax the pressure, keep the strong pushing feeling towards the opponent. Without any physical movement or tightness of grip there still remains a pushing feeling in the hands called "seme-te". The metsuke will have changed during this action as the opponent falls under your cut, the metsuke lowers accordingly. A common fault is to follow the kissaki.

CHIBURI

Begin to turn the sword clockwise so that the blade angle comes to about 45 degrees. Make sure that the kissaki remains in the same spot. To achieve this, any lateral movement occurs at the hand end of the sword. The "O-chiburi" begins with the right hand holding the sword pushing the kissaki forward and upward in an arc that at first travels towards the front right side at an angle around 45 degrees. This maintains semeru.

The left hand comes back to a position where the saya passes behind the straps of the "hakama" ("himo"). The fingers should be together, not splayed. The thumb of the left hand should be on the top of the saya so that the saya is positively located. The best position is where the thumb slightly hooks over the top of the saya between the saya and the body. The thumb pushes down on the saya so that it lies in a horizontal plane through the obi.

The right hand meanwhile has continued with the movement of the sword out to the right side. Once the right arm is just in front of the shoulder line and very slightly up from horizontal, bend the arm at the elbow and bring the right hand gripping the sword up to the right temple. The distance can be checked by extending the fingers of the right hand, they should just touch the temple. During this movement it is most important that the kissaki does not dip, the height of the kissaki is controlled by the little finger grip of the right hand, however, do not grip too tightly with the other fingers. Viewed from the side the angle of the sword from the horizontal is between 10 and 15 degrees. If the little finger grip is too lose the tip will drop. Common faults are where the right arm travels too far back and behind the line of the shoulders, and where the right arm rises too high so that when the second part of the movement takes place and the elbow bends, the right hand travels downward to the temple rather than up toward the temple.

Once the sword is at the temple the angle of the sword should be slightly up with the kissaki slightly out to the right side. This can be easily checked by looking at the position of the tsuka, it should be seen sloping inward at eye height with the tsuka- gashira in front of the right eye. In this position there is a strong "zanshin" and a feeling of pushing from the "tanden" in the stomach and head.

The most difficult thing is to keep the kissaki moving. This can be achieved by thinking of the O-chiburi as two arm movements followed by an application of tenouchi followed by a further arm movement. In this way the first two arm movements bring the sword smoothly and continuously up to the right temple. Immediately start to apply tenouchi, starting with the little finger and moving up the fingers progressively. The result of this is to keep the tip moving even thought he arm is not.

The final part of the "chiburi" is achieved by pushing the right arm forward completing the tenouchi during the trajectory of the chiburi. Try to straighten the arm at about or just slightly below shoulder height, the effect of this is to make the chiburi a big movement. It is as if you were cutting someone standing to your left front. The chiburi ends with kime. The downward movement of the chiburi is done briskly at a constant speed. There is a steady exhalation of breath during chiburi. During the downward part of the chiburi the posture changes and you rise up leaving the feet in the same position. It is most important that the metsuke remains on the fallen opponent.

The kissaki should finish at knee height, this is lower than you think; get someone to check this for you until you get the feel for it. The sword curves inward so that if you extend it forward the tip would travel down and in to the centre line where the opponent lies. The right hand gripping the sword should be the seem height as the left hand on the saya. Any adjustment of the height of the kissaki should be done with rotation in the wrist not by raising or lowering the arm. The right hand is slightly in front of the waist line so that if a rod were to be extended along the waist line to the right it would be able to sit on the tsuka behind the right hand in the position the left hand normally grips the tsuka. Common faults include having the right hand too far forward, too far back, too high or too low.

You are in this position for relatively a long time so it is most important to get it right. When at the finish point of the chiburi only the back "mune" of the blade should be visible. The knuckles of the right hand should be turned up slightly and not be flat with the back of the wrist. There should be an angle between the root of the thumb and the wrist, "tome-te", this is not the same as the kiri-te position of the nukitsuke. A common reason for getting the wrong hand and sword position here is the habit of re-gripping the tsuka after completing the kiritsuke, the hand grip is relaxed but the hand position must not be changed.

ZANSHIN

Having completed the chiburi bring the left foot up to the right. This is not a rushed movement. The movement is driven by the hips not the shoulders. The heel of the left foot should make contact with the floor first not the toes. Do not bring the feet too close together, leave one foot's breadth between them. At the feet together position pause slightly with a strong pushing feeling, then move the right foot directly to the rear. This movement should have the feeling of being pushed backward with the right shoulder combined with a pulling feeling in the small of the back. A common fault here is to step back with the leg leaving the head and shoulders forward and end up in a leaning posture. Keep the toes of the right foot facing forward, there is a tendency to step back and let the heel of the right foot turn in towards the centre line.

NOTO

Once in this position, prepare for "noto" by moving the left hand along the saya to completely smother the "koiguchi". It is very easy to lose zanshin here so do not release the left hand grip and then re-grip at the koiguchi. It is better to loosely slide the hand up towards the koiguchi with strong zanshin.

The movement should begin with the feeling of moving the kissaki first in an arc to bring the mune, just above the habaki, up to the koiguchi. The feeling is of very slightly over-shooting the koiguchi so that when the mune makes contact with the web of skin between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand the sword is traveling away from you. If contact is made while the sword is traveling towards you you will trap the web of skin between the mune and the koiguchi and will be unable to make a smooth transition from inward to outward movement. It can also be quite painful. The speed of the noto, whilst needing to be done briskly, is not of prime importance.

The noto movement has three main elements, the movement up to the koiguchi, the movement along the mune so that the kissaki slips into the koiguchi and the final sheathing of the sword. The first two elements are performed at the same speed and the final sheathing action is somewhat slower. The three elements can be thought of as a sentence with a comma separating the first two from the last. This is to say that the second movement should not be slurred into the third. A common fault is to slow down the third movement only after a proportion of the blade has been sheathed. At the end of the second movement, the kissaki will have slipped into the koiguchi. This will have been achieved by a combined movement of the sword in the right hand travelling away from the centre meeting point and a movement of the saya in the left hand pulling down and round to the left (similar to the saya biki action).

Once the kissaki enters the koiguchi the left hand aligns the saya with the blade to effect a smooth sheathing action. During the noto as the sword is pushed away from the body in the second movement the direction of travel is a natural one towards the front right side. The movement itself is a strong one with a feeling of almost striking someone who is standing to the right front side, with the tsuka-gashira. A common fault is to feel that the tsuka-gashira is to be pushed towards the opponent to maintain zanshin. The pressure on the opponent is from the tanden.

The final movement of the noto, the actual sheathing of the blade is done in conjunction with a lowering of the posture onto the right knee. During the lowering onto the right knee all the toes of the right foot should be in contact with the floor. A common fault is to have only the big toe and second toe in contact during the sinking into posture, the usual cause is that when originally stepping back with this foot the heel is allowed to turn in, as described previously. Sinking in this manner can damage both the toes and the knee joint.

During the last element both hands move in this action, the left stopping once it has reached the centre position of the waist line. The inside of the top of the right arm from the armpit to the elbow should be in contact with the right top part of the chest. A common fault is to perform the last movement of the noto with the right arm bending at the elbow, this will leave a gap between the top of the arm and the chest. The left hand need not continue to grip the saya too tightly. The forefinger of the left hand will feel the habaki enter the koiguchi. The tsuba will come up against the forefinger and thumb as they still overlap the koiguchi. The tsuba, driven by the right hand sheathing the sword, will push the left hand slightly down the saya thus seating the habaki firmly into the koiguchi. At this point the thumb of the left hand hooks over the tsuba checking that the sword is correctly seated and then relaxes resting on the top right side (body side) of the tsuba. A common fault is to raise the left hand thumb in anticipation of the sword completing noto, this is hazardous and untidy.

RETURNING TO POSITION

The noto is complete. There is a tendency to relax the posture at this point. Avoid this and maintain the muscle tension in the thighs and buttocks maintaining the pushing feeling towards the opponent. After a momentary pause with zanshin, raise the posture bringing the right foot up to one foot's breadth distance apart from the left. This movement is not rushed and is performed with the feeling of being pushed in the small of the back. If this movement is done correctly being driven with the hips then the heel of the right foot connects with the floor first. A common fault is to move by shifting the weight of the head and shoulders forward causing the toes to make contact with the floor at feet together position.

As soon as the foot is in place begin to remove the right hand from the tsuka. This is not done quickly but with zanshin almost a feeling of reluctance. As the right hand touches the right thigh begin to move the left foot rearward. The actions of bringing the right foot up, removing the right hand from the tsuka and beginning to step back with the left foot should not be thought of as three separate moves each with its own start and stop. Rather think of them as continuous, the end of one movement is the start of the next.

The very first step back with the left foot is a small one. The left hip drops back ever so slightly giving a very small angle to the hips. This angle is maintained during the next two steps. As the final step is completed the slight angle is removed and the hips run east-west. Whilst making the steps backward keep the right hand in light contact with the right thigh all the time. A common fault is to hold the arm and right hand tense and away from the thigh. The overall effect of this is to still generate the pushing feeling toward the opponent even though the actual body is moving away. It is a feeling of 'stickiness' or 'reluctance' and one translation of the meaning of zanshin as the 'lingering heart' is most apt here. The remaining steps back to the original start position of the form are of normal length.

During the return to the start point the metsuke is progressively raised from the fallen opponent. Common faults here are allowing the hips to waddle from side to side and raising the metsuke in a sudden way.

Once in the original start position the breathing returns to normal, the form is complete.

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CONTACT LIST

Just the new additions this month.

The Aiki News Stanley Pranin ed. Lions Mansion #204, Tamagawa Gakuen 5-11-25, Machida Shi, Tokyo To, Japan 194. Tel. 0427248675 FAX 0427249119.

JUKADO inc. 540 est Henri-Bourassa, Montreal, PQ Canada. H3L 1C6 1-800-363-2992 FAX 387-7110.

J* Masakazu Oshita, 3-2-5, Kaminae-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657, Japan. Ph. (078)871-7726. J* John Ray, RR1 Box 341A, Hinsdale, N.H. USA 03451

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If you do not understand

your teacher's instructions

Consider

Were you thinking about

what he was saying?

Stop

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