Tools of the Trade.

Most people are aware of the two swords of the samurai, the long sword (katana) and the short sword (wakazashi). Up until now I had only ever trained with the bokken, in other words the wooden version of the long sword; first in aikido and now in TSYR. The way the bokken is used in my line of aikido is to enhance taijutsu technique by applying correct body alignment and positioning. The weapon work informs the empty hand waza. This could also be said to be true in TSYR except the attitude behind the sword work differs greatly. Aikido is about conflict resolution where both the attacker and defender are given the opportunity to reconcile their differences. In TSYR the philosophy is very basic – kill your opponent. These attitudes effect the kenjutsu. Aikido operates in large circles and attempts to place both the attacker and defender out of harm’s way. TSYR kenjutsu is far more direct and quick. The emphasis is on small deflections, direct strikes and one obvious loser. The thing is, TSYR technique is very circular or made up of spirals as well, but the movements are small, sometimes just a matter of millimetres. Now imagine the mental intensity this creates. After an hour of kenjutsu training in TSYR I get a good sweat going. Not because of the physical demand but because of the intense concentration that it requires. Attacks have to be strong and committed, deflections and counter attacks have to be timed well and precise.

Needless to say it has been a challenge switching mind-sets from one art to another for the sword work. Now our sensei has been exposed to some of the kata using other blades; the tanto (which we train with already), the O-tanto, and the wakazashi. With the introduction of these other weapons I get a feeling that we are really delving into an obscure, ancient tradition. Aikido has tanto practice, but nothing like the kata I’ve experienced in TSYR. I haven’t had the opportunity to see all the kata with these weapons but the rationale behind them appears to be that ultimately a warrior wants to fight with his long sword. However, there will be times when he has been disarmed or caught without his primary weapon and needs to know how to defend himself with the shorter blades.

The curriculum of TSYR appears to be vast, in fact it has some 135 kata, and things get complex. It is exciting to be venturing into this unique world where a person is assessed by their ability to maintain their posture and composure under ever-increasing physical and mental challenge.

Good fun!

Dean.

A slice of training life

On Tuesday my instructor had recently come back from his seminar in the USA with Toby Threadgill. There is a requirement in the ryu that the head of each study group/dojo travel to the States once a year for these seminars. So Robbie was back with renewed vigour and plenty to tell us. We spent the evening working on one of the Chuden level paired sword kata. I had only observed one of these kata before so I had plenty to see and learn. I have always used an old bokken that I bought for aikido. However the TSYR bokken are different. They are generally longer (especially the handle) and are more curved. So I am looking at getting one of these bokken as the frustration of essentially bringing a toothpick to a stick fight is starting to get to me.

I have been struggling with a knee injury for the last 6 weeks and Tuesday was the first time in that long that I could train in both aikido and TSYR without my knee giving out. The aikido club numbers have shrunk but maintains an average rank of shodan so the quality of training is good. Only two of the club members are kyu grades now. We had a great Tuesday night with good intensity and plenty of fun.

Only about a month to go before Toby Threadgill lands on our shores again and there is plenty to learn in that time. I can't seem to get enough training in at the moment. Either injury or family commitments tend to keep me away from the dojo. It might just be one of those years. I certainly haven't trained as much as I had at the same time last year. What is suffering most of all is my body conditioning due to the lack of internal strength training and in aikido, my sword work is becoming a confused mess as it seems to clash with the body habits of the TSYR sword movement. The only solution is to carefully nurse my knee back to health before the head of our school arrives and train on.

Yours on training.
Dean.