The Iaido Newsletter
A publication of shared distribution dedicated to the Japanese sword arts, Iaido, Kendo and the Koryu A Sei Do Kai Publication (Incorporating the OKF News) http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido	Vol 11/4 #101 Apr 1999 $5.00 per issue PHOTOCOPY AND SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER! http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor

AUSTRALIA David Kolb, 30 Neville St. Kangaroo Point, Qld. 4169 Australia.

BALTICS Tonis Kunnus, Kalatsova kula, Meremae EE2751, Voru maakond, Estonia.

BELGIUM: Erik Pooters Wittestraat 9 Kiel, Antwerpen 2020 Belgie.

CANADA CENTRAL Sandra Jorgenson, 77 Harbour Sq. #3310 Toronto Ont. M5J 2S2.

CANADA EAST Robert Miller, 45 Cedar Cr. Beaconsfield, Quebec H9W 4S9.

CANADA WEST Barry Wiseman, 11038 Greenwood Dr. Mission B.C. V4S 1A9.

CENTRAL EUROPE Zsolt Balassy, H-1046 Budapest, Toth A. u. 19. Hungary.

DENMARK Bjarne Blichfeldt Katholm 210 3670 Vekso Denmark.

ENGLAND Douglas Evans 10 Daglish Close, New Romney, Kent TN28 8XF.

FINLAND Pasi Hellsten, Luuvaniementie 4 D 126, SF-00350 Helsinki, Finland.

GERMANY Klaus Wissmath, Rathenaustrasse 9A, D-91052 Erlangen.

HOLLAND Johan Smits, Dunant Straat 866 Zoetermeer Netherlands 2713 XJ.

JAPAN Colin Hyakutake, Matsubara 4 Chome 6-19, Saga City, Saga Ken, Japan 840.

NEW ZEALAND Hamish Robison 15 Logan Tce. Parnell, Auckland.

SWEDEN Arne Oster, Akerogatan 2, S-417 28 Goteborg.

SWITZERLAND Nicolae G. Bialokur, 18 ch. Champ-Soleil, 1012 Lausanne, Suisse.

USA EAST J.S.S. PO Box 1119 Rockefeller Stn. New York, NY USA 10185.

USA HAWAII Hunter Armstrong, 315 Foothills Dr., Sedona, AZ 86336.

USA S-CENTRAL John Ray, 1909 Archer Trail, Denton TX, 76201.

USA WEST COAST Bill Howell, 2525 NE 23rd St. Portland Oregon, 97212.

COMING EVENTS

1999 Kyudo Schedule of Kanjuro Shibata Sensei.

Ryuko Kyudojo in Boulder, CO, has released the following teaching schedule of Kanjuro Shibata Sensei for 1999.

11-20 June, Seiko Kyudojo, Karme-Choling, Barnet, VT, Instructors Training(*) Contact: Paula Mosman, Phone 802-633-2384.

24-27 June, Seiko Kyudojo, Karme-Choling, Barnet, VT, Kyudo Program Contact: Paula Mosman, Phone 802-633-2384.

1-4 July, Kozan Kyudojo, Dorje Denma Ling, Nova Scotia, Kyudo Program Contact: Matthew Zalichin, Phone 902-423-0449.

1-5 August, Dechen Choling (France), Instructors Training Contact: Max Baltin, (49) 2554-1275

6-13 August, Dechen Choling (France), Kyudo Program Contact: Max Baltin, (49) 2554-1275

3-8 September, Fu Rin Ka Zan, RMSC, CO, Kyudo Program Contact Ryuko Kyudojo, (303) 440-0603

14-19 September, Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt. Tremper, NY, Kyudo Program Contact: Jody Hojin Kimmel, (914) 688-2228

21-24 October, Miyako Kyudojo, Washington, DC, Kyudo Program Contact: Ken Rawie (301)649-4990

(*) Sensei has opened the Instructor's Training to include instructors, assistants, and intermediate/advanced practitioners. Please contact the individuals above for more specific information.

IAIDO PRACTICE TOPS

100% cotton, sized to you and supplied at cost through the Sei Do Kai. $70 (includes postage). Black or white, other colours may be extra. Measure the chest size at nipple height, shoulder point to shoulder point, and from neck to mid-thigh. Send your measurements to Sei Do Kai. 44 Inkerman St. Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 3C5.

BOOK REVIEW

"ARMED MARTIAL ARTS OF JAPAN: SWORDSMANSHIP AND ARCHERY"

Reviewed by Raymond Sosnowski, NH USA

Introduction. When a title like this comes along, I typically sit down to read it with mixed emotions -- anticipation and dread: anticipation because good books of this type are still few and far between (and there is always the hope that this one will be a new gem), and dread because it is very easy for any text to come up far short of the mark. This text inspired both emotions in me. It has been my experience that it is very hard to review a good book, but very easy to review one that is not so good. The good news is that this was an easy review for me to write; the bad news [for the author] is that this was an easy review to write.

The contents of the book consist of:

Preface

Introduction.

1. Martial Arts and Japanese Culture.

[PART I. Swordsmanship.]

2. The Early Tradition.

3. From Self-Protection to Self-Perfection in the Early and Mid Tokugawa.

4. The Sporting Element in the Late Tokugawa.

[PART II. Archery.]

5. The Way of the Bow and Arrow.

6. The Quest for Records in the Tokugawa.

[PART III. ARMED MARTIAL ARTS TODAY.]

7. Swordsmanship and Archery: The Modern Transformation.

8. The Martial and Other Japanese Arts.

Epilogue.

Notes.

Glossary.

References.

Index.

The Table of Contents, like the title, also gives one the hope of great things to come, but it too is deceiving. Just as I believe in truth in advertizing, I also believe in truth in book titles; if this book were titled something like "A Brief History of Martially-Inspired Combat Sports in Japan: Modern Kendo and Sports Kyudo," devoting about a hundred pages to each, then I would have very little to write about. However, here "swordsmanship" is used as a euphemism for Kendo and "archery" for Sports Kyudo of the ZNKR (Zen Nihon Kyudo Renmei). With the BBB (Better Business Bureau), that would be called "bait and switch." Similarly in the Table of Contents, the "swordsmanship" means one thing on Part I, and quite another thing in III, and "archery" means one thing in Part II while something completely different in III. That is the long and the short of it; so, if you don't need the details, you're done -- go do something useful: Keiko (practice). If you're still around, things are about to heat up ..., a lot.

Major Problems. Prof. Hurst spends the Introduction batting around the idea of "sports;" he further tries on the term "martial sports" for things like Judo, Karate and Kendo. This is an attempt to provide a neat set of categories in a realm that defies such simple categories; suffice it to say that these and other Budo ("Martial Ways") have a competitive element to them, but don't say or imply that sports is their "raison d'etre." In this, Prof. Hurst is over-simplifying. Budo has no Western analogue, and defies categorization along the neat lines that we are used to.

At the end of the Introduction (p. 6), he states, "What I am presenting here is a history of Japan's armed martial arts -- archery and swordsmanship -- that have a significant sporting tradition. I omit other armed martial arts, such as the use of the spear, naginata (halberd), and other weapons, that have not developed sufficiently in that direction or whose practice is confined mainly to Japan. Because combat sports evolved only very slowly in Japan, I shall deal with both their history as martial arts and their subsequent development as sports." First of all, if you did not read the Introduction or did not read it closely, you would have missed this "little" detail. Second, how can you ignore Atarashii Naginata? Sure, it does not have the numbers that Kendo has, but it is international, practiced in Japan, the US and other foreign countries (France and Brazil come to mind). I am not sure what kind of bias this represents, but someone did not do their homework. Similarly, Naginata for women and the educational system is not present in the Chapter 7 subsection "Kendo and the Educational System" (pp. 161-165).

Early in Chapter 1 (p. 8), Prof. Hurst makes the statement, "The late Donn Draeger's discussion of martial arts terminology is widely accepted by Western practitioners of martial arts." Really? On what grounds is such an assertion made? I think that most martial artists are ignorant of the late Draeger-s.'s trilogy (Draeger, 1973a, 1973b, 1974) [I would suggest that most Martial Artists are ignorant of the history of their own style]; of those who aren't, there are some (I don't know how many) who take issue with his definitions. So, the author's sweeping generalization is an unfounded assumption with no basis in reality as far as I can tell.

The late Draeger-s. tried to force-fit categories [he was a pioneer as well as a product of his times; we all should be eternally grateful for his efforts, but he was a mortal like the rest of us, and did not get absolutely everything correct]; this is in conflict with the Japanese notion of "case-by-case." For example, Shindo Muso Ryu Jodo is a form of Bujutsu, "Naginata-do," a term which the author uses, is an archaic term that has not been used since WWII, and some forms of Jujutsu are clearly Shin-Budo; here are three quick exceptions to that oversimplified "-jutsu" and "-do" categorization [sorry, the Japanese did not have a standard naming convention for the Ryuha -- it's just a name; the term "Kendo" first appeared in the mid-17th century for an art that bears very little resemblence to Modern Kendo]. While the Draeger trilogy is a good zero-th order approximation [READ: basic foundation], for categorization they do present a great over-simplification. While the trilogy is a good foundation, they are also a quarter-century old, and I think that we (who care about such things) have become sophisticated enough to handle the nuances of Bujutsu and Budo. Prof. Hurst reiterates this over-simplified categorization near the end of Chapter 3 (p. 78).

In the middle of the Chapter 2 (p. 40), Prof. Hurst writes, "We cannot say that such an emphasis on self-perfection through practice of a combat skill was completely lacking earlier, but it does not find expression in texts until the sixteenth century." First of all, it may have been assumed, or common knowledge, or an aspect that every that every Bugeisha was expected to discover, and therefore, unwritten. Secondly, it most likely was present in earlier times, and not very likely to spring into existence "de novo;" undoubtedly there was an oral tradition before the written tradition. Furthermore, the oldest written traditions of the various Ryuha only date back as far as the sixteenth century (so you are not likely to find anything earlier with any detail)!

To begin the Epilogue (p. 197), Prof. Hurst makes the statement, "Both swordsmanship and archery developed from military skills into modern sports." Now, if I said "Japanese swordsmanship" to most of the senior Martial Artists I know, they would say "Iaido and Kendo." Kendo is Japanese "fencing" and a major facet of Japanese swordsmanship; some people do just Iaido, others just Kendo, and still others do both. The above statement is quite misleading; it would be correct to say "Both [modern] Kendo and [ZNKR] Kyudo developed from military skills into modern sports." The author's slant is much too steep for my sensibilities.

In spite of this over-emphasis of the competition aspect of [ZNKR] Kyudo, there is a spiritual/ meditative/internal side that exists [for example, see DeProspero and Deprospero (1996), Onuma (1993), or Stein (1988)]. Again, Prof. Hurst has highly over-simplified the situation by making Kyudo a mere sport.

The author has also conveniently side-stepped the existence of Kendo no Kata [see Budden (1992)], that element from Kenjutsu which is still used by the ZNKR [Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei] for promotions, as well as Reiho (etiquette) for Kata practice, Jigeiko (practice sparring) and Shiai (tournament sparring) [the only Western sport that I can think of with a formal etiquette is Western-style fencing (coincidence?)]. If you want to talk about Budo, particularly modern forms, it is not proper in my estimation to selectively amputate and ignore those aspects that do not fit your agenda because it does a tremendous disservice to the intended audience.

The author has conveniently ignored the curricula of the various Ryuha, focusing exclusively on the competitive, sparring aspect as sport. A significant part of the various branches of Itto-Ryu is Kenjutsu Kata. Ona-ha Itto-Ryu is known to have a Batto-/Iai-jutsu, quick sword-drawing, element, and I suspect the same is true of the other branches too. Jikishin Kage-Ryu emphasized both Kenjutsu and Naginata-jutsu. The Batto-jutsu (quick sword-drawing) element of Shindo Munen-Ryu is still with us as Iaido Kata. The author would have us believe that all these Ryuha had was fencing; it's misleading.

The author has also failed to take into account that any type of two-person sparring can be used for self-perfection, as a reality check that one's understanding of the art is sound, especially in the face of a non- cooperative partner; your "opponent" is not your "enemy," but your teacher, highlighting those areas that you need to improve [There are many Karate-ka who have never entered a tournament, but enjoy sparring; then there is that other aspect of tournament competition, Kata or forms competition -- I have done both as both competitor and judge/referee]. Show me a "sport" that uses this approach. No, the only important thing in a "sport" is winning, and the thing to avoid at all costs is losing.

What is behind this agenda of pushing this notion of [monolithic] sport? Sports in the Orient and sports in the West are two different animals; just compare baseball in North America with baseball in Japan (outwardly, it's the same game, but there is just no comparison given the differences in how they are played). I would go so far as to say that many Western sports are at least covertly "mean-spirited;" look at the brawls in baseball, basketball and football -- it's even been institutionalized in pro-hockey. And the author wants us to believe that modern Kendo and Sports Kyudo should be included in with these other sports? I really don't think so.

In summary, my major complaint is not so much what the author states (although I have highlighted points that I believe are misleading), but in what goes unspoken through selective use of prose.

Minor Quibbles. In Chapter 3 (p. 40), the author states that Miyamoto Musashi called his style of swordsmanship, Emmei-Ryu, Nito-ichi Ryu and then Niten-ichi Ryu. Other sources list the two earlier arts as Musashi-Ryu and Enmyo-/Enmei-Ryu (Enmei meaning "clear circle"). I have not come across the term "Nito-ichi Ryu" although I have heard Niten-ichi Ryu casually referred to as Nito-Ryu.

Early in Chapter 4 (p. 84), the author spends a paragraph describing a Shinai; would it have been so difficult to include a diagram or a photograph?

In Chapter 7, (p.168), the author mistakenly translates the Kendo Kiai "Men" as "face;" however, it means "head." Also in Chapter 7 (p. 171), he has a rather long paragraph on the Dankyu ranking system for [ZNKR] Kyudo, noting that it originated with Judo; my question is why this was not included earlier in the chapter with the discussion of Kendo. Furthermore, with respect to the distances of the targets in Kyudo (p. 173), he mistakenly transforms 28 meters into 31 feet (it's really 91.9 feet, because 1 meter is 3.281 feet) and 60 meters into 66 feet (it's really 196.9 feet) [actually 28 meters is about 31 yards, and 60 meters is about 66 yards; somebody screwed up the units].

The Koryu and Japanese Kobudo, collectively, Bujutsu, get a get a nodding mention in Chapter 8. This is quite out of place. They should have been discussed prior to Chapter 7, possibly in the middle histories in Chapters 3, 4 and 6 where they would have been relevant. Chapter 8 seems like an afterthought; it could have been an appendix.

Bright Spots. There are several aspects that are worth noting. The early histories are a good read; the middle histories are too, provided you realize that they are being skewed towards the competitive aspects. The Kyujutsu/ Kyudo history is the most comprehensive that I have seen. Finally, the author has rightfully pointed out the over-emphasis of Zen in the Japanese Martial Arts (pp. 175-176); yes, it's present, but it is only one of a myriad influential factors in Bujutsu and Budo.

Conclusions. Writing articles is hard; writing books is orders of magnitude (factors of 10) harder. It is not an easy task to denounce the product of such tremendous labor. In my opinion, the author has squandered what should have been a great opportunity, producing instead a misleading text of very limited focus. Because of this, I cannot recommend it to a general readership; however, I can recommend it to a knowledgeable readership if the interest is in the history of modern Kendo and Sports Kyudo.

The author has produced a text that is over-compartmentalized, over- simplified, and uneven; too much is missing. Prof. Hurst has tried to create too neat a package. He has, in fact, cut some new, but limited, ground by being too absorbed in moving his thesis/agenda forward; it reminds me of the adage about "the forest" and "the trees." For some unexplained reason, the author has some difficulty with the idea of a Martial Way that has a competitive component. He has drawn his line and then plotted the data points; however, a good analyst plots the points first, and then sees what type of curve (which might be a line) best fits the data.

Personal Observations. I would like to include the following commentary as my "personal observations" rather that part of the review proper because they are inspired by my reading of this text, but cover a broader area.

Prof. Hurst is not on record as a practitioner of any armed Martial Art or Way. When we consider Draeger (1973a, 1973b, 1974), we see breadth, depth and insight that comes from participation. When we consider Friday (1997) [which I reviewed in Sosnowski (1997) and Sosnowski (1997/98)], we also see depth and insight that comes from participation. Add to this list Budden (1992), DeProspero and Deprospero (1996), Skoss (1997, 1999), and Stein (1988); of course, there are others. Prof. Hurst's efforts remind me of the outsider, peaking through the knothole in the fence, a highly restricted view of the panoramic vista.

Prof. Hurst is on record as being an empty-hand practitioner, Shotokan Karate and WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) Taekwondo [you know, that Olympic "sport"]. My disdain for WTF TKD is well-known -- "kick-tag;" it's no Martial Art or Way [the late TKD grandmaster, Sang Kyu Shim, the former editor of Tae Kwon Do Times magazine, said the same thing in an editorial over 15 years ago -- he said it should be called "Tae Kwon" because there is no "Do" ("way") in WTF TKD]. It is my personal experience that no amount of empty-hand training can prepare you for the armed Arts [I did ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation) TKD for 16 years; I now practice Kendo, Iaido, Jodo, Naginata, and (meditation) Kyudo, and I am on record for keeping Kendo out of the Olympics in any form including the Korean version, Kumdo, which is identical to Kendo].

Furthermore, in order to justify its existence, WTF TKD has perpetuated the myth that there exists a "natural" evolutionary progression from "art" (aka "-jutsu") to "way" (aka "-do") to sport. Mr. Herb Perez, 1992 USA Olympic gold medal winner in [WTF] TKD, makes this very argument in a two- part article in Black Belt magazine (Perez, 1998a, b). Maybe it is just coincidence, but it certainly is uncanny that Prof. Hurst's development runs along these very lines.

The Perez logic is simple, linear, ..., and wrong. Evolution is not a linear progression; it's more like a branching bush [read any of the essays on evolution by Prof. Stephan J. Gould (1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1995), a chaired professor at Harvard University and curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York], if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, your branch gets pruned -- sometimes the "fittest" don't survive. It is my opinion that we are sophisticated enough to go beyond this over-simplistic linear-model; if we can do it for natural history, then we can do it for the development of Budo.

REFERENCES.

Budden, Paul, 1992. Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata, Ward Lock, London. 128 pp.

DeProspero, Dan, and Deprospero, Jackie, 1996. Illuminated Spirit: Conversations with a Kyudo Master, Kodansha International, Tokyo. 144 pp.

Draeger, Donn F., 1973a. The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume I: Classical Bujutsu, Weatherhill, New York. 111 pp.

---, 1973b. The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume II: Classical Budo, Weatherhill, New York. 127 pp.

---, 1974. The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume III: Modern Bujutsu & Budo, Weatherhill, New York. 190 pp.

Friday, Karl F. with Seki, Humitake, 1997. Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai Martial Culture, University of Hawai`i Press, Honolulu, 229 pp.

Gould, Stephan Jay, 1977. Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History, W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 285 pp.

---, 1980. The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History, W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 343 pp.

---, 1981. The Mismeasure of Man. W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 352 pp.

---, 1983. Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History. W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 413 pp.

---, 1985. The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History. W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 476 pp.

---, 1989. Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of Harmony. W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 347 pp.

---, 1991. Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History, W. W. Norton & Co., New York. 540 pp.

---, 1995. Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History. Harmony Books, New York. 480 pp.

Onuma, Hideharu, with DeProspero, Dan, and Deprospero, Jackie, 1993. Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery, Kodansha International, Tokyo. 160 pp.

Perez, Herb, 1998a. "Tradition vs. Sport: Will the Real Taekwondo Please Stand? Part One," Black Belt, 36(2), 32-37, February.

---, 1998b. "Tradition vs. Sport: Will the Real Taekwondo Please Stand? Part Two," Black Belt, 36(3), 64-67 & 70-71, March.

Skoss, Diane (ed.), 1997. Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Koryu Books, Berkeley Heights, NJ. 192 pp.

---, 1999. Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 2, Koryu Books, Berkeley Heights, NJ. 190 pp.

Sosnowski, Raymond, 1997. "Book Review: Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima- Shinryu and Samurai Martial Culture by Karl F. Friday with Seki, Humitake," Journal of Japanese Sword Arts #86, 9(11), 24-27, November.

---, 1997/98. "Book Review: Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai Martial Culture by Karl F. Friday with Seki, Humitake," Ryubi

-- The Dragon's Tail, the Newsletter of Kashima Shinryu/North America, Issue #10, 11-13, Winter.

Stein, Hans Joachim, 1988. Kyudo: The Art of Zen Archery, translated from the original German text by Frauke and Tim Nevill, Element Books, Dorset, England. 181 pp.

ARTICLES

JUDGING GUIDELINES FOR ALL JAPAN KENDO FEDERATION IAI SHINSA

I have updated my translation of the ZNKR iaido shinsa guidelines. I have reworked some of my tortured English from previous editions, and deleted all the Japanese original text. This outline continues to be the guide for the ZNKR teachers who have visited the US, as well as the AUSKF. Robert Stroud, Oregon USA

Judging Guidelines for All Japan Kendo Federation Iai Shinsa from theAll Japan Kendo Federation, a non-profit corporation September 17, 1988

Manners

Is the prescribed sequence of manners (proper bowing and procedure) demonstrated ?

Ipponme, Mae

1) Is there sufficient sayabiki (pullback of scabbard) during nukituke (drawing)?

2) Is the sword lifted up (furikabutte) with the feeling of thrusting back along side of the left ear?

3) Does the kissaki (sword tip) not drop down below horizontal when swung up above the head (furikabutte)?

4) Is the down-ward cut (kiri oroshi) made without any pause after the nukitsuke?

5) Does the kirioroshi cut finish with the kissaki (sword tip) slightly below horizontal?

6) Is the posture during chiburi (sword cleaning motion) correct?

7) Is noutou (sword re-sheathing) done correctly?

Nihonme, Ushiro

1) Is the sword drawn simultaneously with the turn, and does the left foot move firmly forward as it goes slightly to the left?

2) Does the nukituke cut correctly toward the target at the opponent's temple?

Sanbonme, Uke Nagashi

1) Is the Uke Nagashi positioned to protect the upper body?

2) Does the left foot pull back, with the kesa (diagonal) cut, to a point behind the right foot?

3) Does the left fist stop in front of the navel with the sword tip (kissaki) slightly lower, at the completion of the cut?

Yohonme, Tsuka Ate

1) Does the butt of the sword handle (kasira) hit the enemy's solar plexus squarely?

2) When attacking the rear enemy does the left hand grip the scabbard mouth (koi guchi) squeezing with a jamming motion to the front of the navel, as the tsuki is made with the right elbow extended?

3) When turning to face the front enemy, is there a pulling motion as the sword hilt (butt of the handle) goes up above the head (furikabutte), and is the cut straight down thru the front enemy?

Gohonme, Kesa giri

1) When turning the sword after finishing the reverse kesa upward cut, is the right fist above the shoulder?

2) Does the left hand grasp the koi guchi, as the left foot is pulled back with the kesa (diagonal) chiburi?

Ropponme, Morote Tsuki

1) Does the sudden/surprise downward diagonal head cut finish at the enemy's jaw?

2) Is chudan kamae assumed, by moving the rear foot toward the front (tsugiashi), with an accurate tsuki thrust to the solar plexus?

3) Is the sword drawn with a feeling of uke nagashi blocking above the head?

Nanahonme, Sanpou Giri

1) Does the drawing cut stop at the right enemy's jaw?

2) Turning directly to the left, without pause, is the cut made preciously down through the enemy?

3) Is the sword raised above the head with a sliding block (uke nagashi), and does the final cut stop parallel to the floor?

Happonme, Ganmen Ate

1) Does the sword hilt (kashira) correctly thrust to a point between the enemy's eyes?

2) Is the right hand correctly placed at the top of the right hip when facing the rear enemy?

3) Does the rear heel only lift slightly when facing the rear enemy for tsuki?

4) Is the tsuki made with the feet pointed toward the enemy?

Kyuuhonme, Soete Tsuki

1) When the right kesa (diagonal) drawing cut is made, does the right fist finish at navel height, with the kissaki slightly higher than that fist?

2) Is the blade pinched firmly between the left thumb and index finger midway along its length, and does the right fist touch the right upper hip?

3) Does the right fist stop in front of the navel, after the piercing thrust to the abdomen?

4) During the zanshin follow-thru, is the right elbow straight, and does it stop above the right breast?

Jyuupponme, Shiho Giri

1) Is the tsuka-ate strike strong and certain using the flat of the handle?

2) After uncapping the blade (saya biki), is the backside of the cutting area (monouchi) placed at the left breast, with the right fist away from the body?

3) After grasping the scabbard mouth (koi guchi) in front of the navel with the left hand, and thrusting with the rear, do both hands squeeze with the whole body (shibori)?

4) Does the move into the cut (furi kabutte) happen with the waki kamae into a jodan kame, and not after?

Yearly subscriptions (12 issues) to the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts are $36 cdn in Canada, $36 US in USA, and $48 overseas. Subscriptions, stories, news, views, and anything else should be sent to Kim Taylor Editor JJSA, 44 Inkerman St. Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 3C5.

519-836-4357

WEB PAGES

Sei Do Kai Iaido homepage:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/

Kim Taylor's webpages

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/

Canadian Kendo Federatin:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/ckfindex.htm

Ontario Kendo Federation homepage

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/okfindex.htm

A BUSY SUMMER

This is going to be a busy time around here in Guelph. We have four sensei visiting in May for our annual spring seminar. I hope to have over 100 people out there swinging swords this year. Next year will be our 10^thanniversary for this seminar.

In July we also have a seminar planned, the first part deals with martial arts with 8-10 senior instructors from North America presenting a variety of different sword related arts. Then, a week later, we have a sword crafts seminar with 5 or 6 instructors teaching a variety of skills dealing with fitting out a sword or making a bokuto.

Anyone wanting information on either of these events can get in touch directly with me or check out the website, the addresses are above somewhere.

On top of all this, your intrepid editor has just agreed to become editor of Martial Arts Fitness, a mass market bimonthly. Combine that with a couple other seminars I mean to attend and summer looks pretty full.

Hope yours looks as promising

Kim.

IAIDO MANUALS

BBI-1 KIM'S BIG BOOK OF IAIDO (I):The Manual

8X11" 108 pgs. Kim Taylor:

BBI-2 KIM'S BBI (II): Seitei Gata

8x11" 100 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-3 KIM'S BBI (III): Omori Ryu

8x11" 94 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-4 KIM'S BBI (IV): Eishin Ryu

8x11" 127 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-5 KIM'S BBI (V): Oku Iai

8x11" 100 pgs. Kim Taylor

OTHER BOOKS

PH-1 SONGS OF THE SWORD

5X8" 100 pgs. by Kim Taylor

SD-1 RESISTING SEXUAL ASSAULT

8x11" 130 pgs. by Kim Taylor

SD-2 STUDENT GUIDE TO SELF DEFENCE

8x11" 150 pgs. by Kim Taylor

VIDEO TAPES

VHS/NTSC format only.

VID-1 SEITEI GATA IAI 1993

VID-2 SPRING SEMINAR/TACHI UCHI NO KURAI

VID-3 THE 1994 SENIOR CLASS, SEITEI GATA

VID-4 THE 1994 SENIOR CLASS, KORYU

VID-5 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1991, 1992

VID-6 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1993

VID-7 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1994

VID-8 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1995

VID-9 THE 1993 UG SUMMER IAIDO SEMINAR

VID-10 THE 1995 JOHN RAY SEMINAR AT UG - 1

VID-11 THE 1995 JOHN RAY SEMINAR AT UG - 2

VID-12 1994 SEMINAR WITH HARUNA SENSEI

VID-13 OMORI RYU AND SENIOR CLASS 1995

VID-14 1996 SEMINAR WITH HARUNA SENSEI

VID-15 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1996

VID-16 TACHI UCHI NO KURAI (includes material from VID-2)

VID-17 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1997

COMPANION VIDEO TAPES TO THE BBI MANUALS

VIDBBI-1 BEGINNING IAIDO I

VIDBBI-2 BEGINNING IAIDO II

VIDBBI-3 SEITEI GATA IAIDO

VIDBBI-4 MUSO JIKIDEN EISHIN RYU SEIZA NO BU

VIDBBI-5 MJER TATE HIZA NO BU

VIDBBI-6 MJER OKU IAI IWAZA

JJSA Journal of Japanese Sword Arts $36 Cdn in Canada,

$36 US in USA, $48 overseas.

JINX-1 IAI JINX WRITING CARDS

SEI DO KAI ORDER FORM

Please send me:

BBI-1. $30 __

BBI-2. $30 __

BBI-3. $30 __

BBI-4. $30 __

BBI-5. $30 __

BBI-SET. $120 __

JINX-1 $7 __

PH-1. $17 __

SD-1. $25 __

SD-2. $25 __

SD-SET. (1&2)$45 __

JJSA $36 __ Can/USA

$48 __ Overseas

VID-1. $25 __

VID-2. $25 __

VID-3. $25 __

VID-4. $25 __

VID-5. $25 __

VID-6. $25 __

VID-7. $25 __

VID-8. $25 __

VID-9. $25 __

VID-10. $25 __

VID-11. $25 __

VID-12. $25 __

VID-13. $25 __

VID-14. $25 __

VID-15. $25 __

VID-16. $25 __

VID-17. $25 __

Any 5 Vid tapes $100 __

VIDBBI-1. $25 __

VIDBBI-2. $25 __

VIDBBI-3. $25 __

VIDBBI-4. $25 __

VIDBBI-5. $25 __

VIDBBI-6. $25 __

VIDBBI-7. $25 __

7 Vidbbi tapes $175 __

TOTAL $_____

Address:

Prices include postage, Send order form to: Kim Taylor 44 Inkerman St. Guelph Ontario N1H 3C5. Payment in Canadian or US funds. Make checks or money orders payable to Kim Taylor or to Sei Do Kai Iaido.

For a catalogue, or price quotes on weapons contact Kim Taylor at the above address,

tel 519-836-4357, or email kataylor@uoguelph.ca