Nitōjuku - 二刀塾

This famous ink brush painting by Miyamoto Musashi with Hotei watching two roosters about to fight was a favourite of my original Niten Ichi-ryū teacher, Iwami Toshio sōke. In fact, for those that may have been invited inside Iwami sōke's house they would have noticed a high-quality reproduction of it in his Genkan (entrance area).

When I first saw it, I made a passing comment that it was my personal favourite piece of Musashi's Sumi-e, and that piqued Iwami sōke's curiosity as to why. Anyway, fast-forward a couple of years later during one of my regular twice-yearly intensive training visits to Japan, I was accompanying Iwami sōke, in between the morning and afternoon private practice session, to a planning meeting as part his involvement in a Human Media Creation Center symposium on the Spiritual Motivation on Musashi's Gorin-no-Sho.

On the way to this meeting, he stopped at a Konbini and asked me to wait in the car, as he dashed in with his rather atypical firefighters' 'business' briefcase to use the photocopier. Later on, following that meeting and the afternoon training at his home dōjō, Iwami sōke mentioned I have a very special gift for you.

He then presented me with an A3 colour copy of his personal Hotei reproduction, saying that he recalled that it was my favourite too and had been struck with my reason as to why so thought to also make me a copy whilst making the one needed for the symposium presentation. Although it's been around 15 years since that day, I recently completed a project I had in mind to scan this gift from Iwami sōke and recreate a high-quality print which is representative of the correct original size of Musashi’s actual Hotei Sumi-e in the Fukuoka Art Museum.

The final print is 327mm x 710mm, and is now framed and hanging on the entry wall of my home office. Apart from the most precious gift which is left in my heart and bones from the mentorship and one-on-one training with Iwami sōke, this particular art piece also serves as a constant and further reminder of his gracious generosity and kindness.

Miyamoto Musashi's Hyōhō-no-Hyōshi.

Occasionally, I'm asked what in my view is the key emphasis or focal point in Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū kata, and the real essence of his latent teachings that are left embedded within them.

First, I tend to point out that within the present-day Niten Ichi-ryū schools the only kata component of the syllabus which can truly be considered as directly from Musashi, with the absolute certainty of an original connection and taken as honden (main transmission), is the Gohō-no-kamae or Gohō-no-tachi; what is now called Nitō Seihō. Other components, such as the Ittō Seihō and Kodachi Seihō were, in fact, added later by other shihan and successors through the generational transmission of the school, and as such it's better to consider those as naiden (inner transmission) kata and teachings. Further, the Bōjutsu within Niten Ichi-ryū could rather be thought of as gaiden (outer transmission) kata that has now been incorporated into the school's curriculum [1].

That is not to take away or suggest that these other components or teachings are not a legitimate part of present-day Niten Ichi-ryū schools, or should be considered to be of any lesser value, as to do so would be a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of my actual view. Rather, it's merely stated transparently to clarify and ensure that my view, and its context, is clearly understood to be strictly limited to that of the Nitō Seihō or five two-sword patterns (Kata). And, that they alone can be said to be unequivocally connected to Musashi and contain the real echoes of his direct teachings. They also bear the true relationship to his writings within both Hyōhō 35 and Gorin-no-sho.

In that regard, apart from the obvious simultaneous use of two-swords and the functional use of a long-sword with a single hand only, I tend to sum up that initial question as follows: Musashi, I feel, is ultimately seeking to guide and edify the fundamentals or essence of ‘Hyōshi’ - the cadences (the rhythmic flow in a sequence of movement / the flow or rhythm of events) - within individual strategy or combat methods (Hyōhō). And, the Gohō-no-tachi are the expressions or patterns that he left to primarily impart and explore this Hyōshi, and not just Nitō waza (dual-sword technique) as it might outwardly appear. The kata or patterns themselves are essentially the representative outlines of Miyamoto Musashi's Hyōhō-no-Hyōshi.

It goes without saying that, through these Kata, Musashi was also intending to impart the necessary aspects or skills of body movements and sword paths as well as the crucial states of mind and, in the end, the mastery of spirit required for real combat. But, in my opinion, it's the contrary or opposing cadence, which still remains within four of the five of these forms in both of the now separate mainstream Santō-ha and Noda-ha teachings, that is the real ‘essential fundamental’ of the practical base contained in the Gohō-no-tachi or Nitō Seihō. Not surprisingly, when familiar with the essence of what is represented within the kata teachings of the separate extant mainstream lines of the Higo-den Niten Ichi-ryū transmission, this crucial opposing cadence is actually contained in each and across all of the five Nitō forms when coalesced.

Of course, along with the contrary or opposing cadence, other cadences still remain latent within Musashi's Gohō-no-tachi too. Interestingly, clear practical advice on the need to master and employ the appropriate cadences in response to an opponent is purposefully located immediately following Musashi's description of the fifth and final form within Gorin-no-sho.

Within the English-language translation of Kenji Tokitsu’s Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings [2], the relevant text is presented as follows:

𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

In relation to Musashi's particular teachings regarding Hyōshi, it is these essential aspects of cadence or Hyōshi that appear as a constant across and throughout every Gorin-no-sho scroll. Within the Earth Scroll, located deliberately just prior to its postscript, Musashi elucidates and emphasises that important point about Hyōshi being contained in all of the scrolls, and its connection to the foundation of his Hyōhō. It is in the last and final article entitled: Cadences in Strategy [2].

The relevant text from Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings is presented as follows:

𝘐𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺, 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮. 𝘐𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.

As a comparison, looking at Musahsi's earlier work of Hyōhō 35 - written around two and a half years before Gorin-no-sho - we can find that Hyōshi or cadences are outlined in Article 22 of that document: 拍子の間を知ると云事 “Recognizing a Gap in a Cadence”. Contained within this single section are the teachings on each of the four Hyōshi that also appear in Gorin-no-sho. However, within Gorin-no-sho, Musashi has divided that section and separated each Hyōshi into a dedicated article section - namely Articles 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the Water Scroll.

一、敵を打に一拍子の打の事 “A Single Cadence for Striking Your Adversary”
一、二のこしの拍子の事 “The Passing Cadence in Two Phases”
一、無念無相の打と云事 “The Strike of Nonthought”
一、流水の打と云事 “The Flowing-Water Strike”

An important point to also note is where these four articles, regarding Hyōshi, are intentionally located; they appear immediately following the description of the five Gohō-no-tachi or Nitō Seihō, and the important follow-on admonishment of “Teaching of the Guard without a Guard”.

Musashi’s deliberate division or emphasis and placement in the location of these Hyōshi teachings, can be taken to further signify the importance of them and their inter-connection to the five Nitō patterns or Gohō-no-tachi. It should be noted that Musashi has re-named the “Delayed Cadence Strike” in Hyōhō 35 to the “Flowing-Water Strike” in Gorin-no-sho, most likely to provide better visualisation of the actual principle or method involved.

Within the Ōgi (secret) teachings of the Seitō Santō-ha school of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, three of the four Ōgi Tachi Seihō are directly related to Hyōshi. Without going into the details and specific teachings of each, they're considered as follows [3];

一、敵を打つに一拍子の打ちの事 “A Single Cadence for Striking Your Adversary”
一、ニのこしの拍子の事 “The Passing Cadence in Two Phases”
一、流水の打と云う事 “The Flowing-Water Strike”
一、紅葉の打ちと云う事 “The Crimson-Leaves Strike”

Obviously, one of the four Hyōshi teachings that appear in Gorin-no-sho is seemingly missing within the above-mentioned Ōgi - namely, “The Strike of Non-thought”. When we look deeper at “The Crimson-Leaves Strike” it can be found that a key aspect of its ex*****on does, in fact, involve “The Strike of Non-thought” or “The Blow Like a Spark from a Stone”. Therefore, it could be said that, within the Seitō Santō-ha Niten Ichi-ryū transmission, the secrets of Musashi's Hyōhō really do involve all of these Hyōshi. As an interesting aside, within the Owari Enmei-ryū teachings, “The Blow Like a Spark from a Stone” is considered Ōgi in their line of transmission.

Musashi’s most crucial instruction regarding the mastery of Hyōhō can also be found within the aforementioned Cadences in Strategy; "Your strategy cannot be sure [certain] if you do not succeed in mastering the opposing cadence“. As elucidated earlier, it is this specific aspect of Hyōshi that appears in each and all of the Gohō-no-tachi when considering the essence of the teachings in both Santō-ha and Noda-ha Niten Ichi-ryū.

Truthfully, in my own experience, only partial teachings and limited representation of the real depth in the original practical or technical aspect of Musashi’s Nitō-ryū remain within each of the separate koryū schools of today. Should one seek to acquire deeper insight into this aspect, it is necessary, unfortunately, to be exposed to more than one koryū transmission’s waza (techniques) and riai (underlying rationale).

With regard to Musashi’s Gohō-no-tachi or Nitō Seihō, I have come to recognise that, in striving to attain the depth and mastery of cadences, it is paramount that one acquire and explore studiously the waza of valid transmission line teachings of Musashi, and to always train with Hyōshi in mind. In my view, without continual and repeated exploration in the variety of waza and cadence alternatives, within the five Nitō forms through long-term training, it is unlikely that many present-era practitioners would progress beyond the superficial representations of the Kata as practiced today.

For this reason, within our particular school, we encourage practitioners to simply acquire the various Hyōshi within these five patterns as we initially transmit them. Then, at the appropriate time, we invite them to explore the transmission line variations we impart, including other Nitō waza and alternate cadences within the Gohō-no-tachi, rather than dismiss them due to dogma and adherence to the politics of authenticity.

It is potentially through applying this further exploration to the full depth with thorough training that a practitioner might garner a genuine understanding of the true breadth of the different and various Hyōshi within these five patterns. In particular, the situational aspects and rhythmical intervals within the tempo that provide the opportunity to disrupt or manifest a disturbance in the opponent’s cadence, to break their body posture and intent, as well as in reciprocally imposing one’s own various situationally appropriate cadences to decisively slash or cut the opponent without conscious thought and/or great effort.

Fundamentally, I feel the Gohō-no-tachi or Nitō Seihō have been left by Musashi so that we may first seek, and then attempt in a practical way, to undertake this paramount and crucial mastery of Hyōhō-no-Hyōshi.


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Footnotes:

1. Within Kumamoto, alongside Niten Ichi-ryū, the Bōjutsu of Shioda Hamanosuke Shosai, a deshi and contemporary of Musashi, was transmitted as its own ryūha, called Musashi-ryū Bōjutsu (武蔵流棒術), in the Edo period. In fact, it is said that Musashi had suggested his disciples study this Bōjutsu directly under Shioda Hamanosuke believing it to be beneficial for them. The late Imai Masayuki sōke, the 10th headmaster of Seitō Santō-ha Niten Ichi-ryū, is on record as having acknowledged that the founder of the Bōjutsu within Niten Ichi-ryū was Hamanosuke. According to Inamura Kiyoshi, a long-term, pre- and post-World War II deshi, the 8th sōke, Aoki Kikuo, did not transmit Bōjutsu, and, according to another deshi, Gosho Motoharu, Aoki sōke also did not transmit Jutte during his time as headmaster of the Seitō Santō-ha branch. Therefore, it would appear that the Musashi-ryū Bōjutsu and Jutte were assimilated into Niten Ichi-ryū during the successorship of Kiyonaga Tadanao, the 9th sōke of that branch of the school. It is also the case, that the Noda-ha branch of Niten Ichi-ryū only ever transmitted the Gohō-no-kamae or five Nitō forms as the sole kata of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū. However, the mainstream faction of Noda-ha has now also incorporated the purported Edo-period twelve Ittō Seihō (single sword kata) into their curriculum and syllabus. Following the unexpected death of Terao Kumanosuke’s 4th son and designated Hosokawa-han successor, Terao Nobumori (Shinmen Bensuke) in 1701, there have been inter-factional issues and competing claims of authenticity among the Higo-den line and branches, including sub-branches, of transmission within Niten Ichi-ryū that still exist to this day.

2. Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings by Kenji Tokitsu. Translated by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, Shambhala Publications, 2004, ISBN 987654321

3. 兵法二天一流の奥義太刀勢法 - Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū no Ōgi Tachi Seihō;「この奥義の太刀勢法を行うにはニ刀にて行う。即ち、打太刀は一刀、仕太刀はニ刀であります。」今井正之宗家 - 'To carry out this Ōgi Tachi Seihō, it's executed with two swords. That is, uchidachi has one sword and shidachi has two swords.' Imai Masayuki sōke: In other words, these Ōgi (secret techniques) are not Ittō Seihō, also commonly referred to as 'Tachi Seihō' - which might cause some confusion.

#兵法二天一流 #二天一流 #剣術 #二刀流 #宮本武蔵 #武蔵

"When we look at the martial arts of Musashi’s time from the point of view of the martial arts of today, we run the risk of not taking the intervening evolution into account and thus falling prey to the illusion that the various disciplines continue to exist as they were several centuries ago." Kenji Tokitsu - Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings

With the above in mind, the following article contains some not so brief musings on Niten Ichi-ryū's paramount Chudan stance, and Musashi's fundamental Nitō-ryū guard.

Musashi's Chūdan-no-kamae An inevitably-discussed aspect for practitioners of Musashi’s Nitō-ryū kenjutsu

Frame-grabs from a private training video with my late mentor, Ishida Hiroaki shihan, teaching the fundamentals in Jūjidome (X-shaped/cross block) of Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū.

At a surface level, the principle is simply to control Uchidachi's sword as they strike - applied situationally anywhere from Jōdan to Gedan with Uchidachi's sword on the exterior of the Nitō Jūji (cross). Ishida sensei called this seizing waza - Kani no Tsume (Crab's Pincers).

However, at a deeper level of principle, Ishida sensei taught that the riai (underlying rationale) of Kani no Tsume is not just about seizing the sword with both swords, rather one of the swords should seek to take the initiative by controlling Uchidachi's hand.

Scarcely known and rarely seen, another aspect of Musashi's Jūji technique is to control Uchidachi's sword on the interior of the crossed swords. From Chūdan no Kamae the swords mount or get on top and ride the mune of Uchidachi's sword, while continuing to maintain the direction of the tips towards the face. Importantly, Ishida sensei taught within this waza that it's crucial to deflect Uchidachi's sword tip off the centreline when initially applying it. This above riai also conforms to the description of the Chūdan kata in Gorinnosho.*

Of course, when performing this Jūji riding, Uchidachi can forcibly return back along the same strike path to break through the Jūji, and in this regard Ishida sensei taught that Shidachi should just separate the crossed swords without resistance, and re-join (this waza is called Taka no Ha; Hawk's Wings) or potentially strike.

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* Note: Musashi's description in Gorinnosho for Chūdan does not correspond exactly to the outward ex*****on and practice in present-day Santō-ha and Noda-ha schools of Niten Ichi-ryū: where Uchidachi's initial strike from Hassō merely cuts the air in between the two swords of Shidachi's Chūdan no Kamae and then withdraws back to Hassō unhindered. Perhaps, this is due to the tendency to hide things within koryū transmissions or the emphasis evolved to be more spiritual and esoteric with a focus on Kizeme; which is what I was personally taught the initial sequence is about by Iwami Toshio Sōke.

Shinken-Shōbu: What does partnered Kenjutsu Kata training really teach?

In the historical context of traditional Japanese swordsmanship, exponents had to assume there would come a time when they were to be directly faced with life-and-death. And they came to understand that the only way to deal with this is to practice it.

In that regard, the aim of practice is to experience a serious-style (shinkengata) matter of life-and-death, and there is no other way but to rely on a repetitious Kata training process involving Uchidachi and Shidachi. That is the primary method used in classical Japanese swordsmanship (Koryū Kenjutsu).

What then are we pursuing by doing such Kata training?

It's easy to think that the purpose of Kata training is only a matter of winning or losing, or is just the pursuit of winning in the matter of life-and-death. Some might also think that the Kata training itself is merely a matter of learning and remembering the Kata.

Misconceptions like these often accompany the thinking that a larger number of Kata learned is better than a smaller number. But that is to also think that the powerful always defeats the less-powerful in swordsmanship, the higher grade or mokuroku will always beat the lower, and that the use of dual swords will always win over a single sword.

However, a certain truth exists in the matter of real life-and-death combat between opponents, and that is there are no guarantees and no rules.

Often, another misconception is that it's really a matter of learning to win with the relevant techniques being taught within the Kata, thereby placing great importance on which School's Kata has the most techniques or has the ultimate "secret" techniques. But no matter how many techniques you have learned in practice or the number of Kata you have been taught, it should be a given that there is still no guarantee you would survive in any real life-and-death combat.

Even today some Japanese Shihan still continue to remind us of the axiom that there is always going to be someone who is more adroit than you are. Therefore, the number of Kata learned, be it large or small, has little meaning from the perspective of winning in Shinken-Shōbu. Further, there are no “secret” techniques that will ensure survival in combat just because you've learned and practiced them.

In such serious circumstances as life-and-death combat, it may not even be possible to apply what you have practiced and learned given there are no rules in Shinken-Shōbu. Rather, we should learn from those who successfully traversed that thin line between life and death — the old Sword saints (Kensei) — who admonish us to pursue, by doing Kata training, the ultimate teaching (Gokui): to always be flexible, spontaneous, and free from disturbance.

So what do we ultimately learn through the Kata?

From the perspective of the Kata in the training process, what you acquire is through the Kata and not the Kata themselves. They're the vehicle, and should not be confused with the cargo. It is said that we can only acquire the things of no-shape (mukei), like Bu-no-Seishin, through things with shape or form.

In the old method of learning the techniques within the Kata, through the serious-style of partnered training, it is also taught that the last thing to learn is not the actual techniques or principles themselves, that there is always something higher than that.

Therefore we must practice to train our movements and mind, and our attitude towards the Kata to be serious, as if on the brink of life or death. Only then can we arrive at the point where we have no doubt that what must be obtained through the Kata is not only the skills and courage to face death, but also the seishin aspect of Shinken-Shōbu.

Growing older is unavoidable and life is a challenge against the ageing of each person, and ultimately it is Shinken-Shōbu with yourself. In the end, no matter how long we live we will each confront that inevitability. It could be said that through the Kata we're seeking to always face death, learning how to die with dignity, and, as part of that process, developing as a human in life and society (Ningen Keisei).

In other words, seishin is something that each of us should acquire by ourselves and it is not something that can be directly taught. Ultimately, what one learns and acquires through Kata training depends on their own intentions and mindset, doubts and the important questions that one seeks to ask of themselves.

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Shinken-Shōbu (真剣勝負, lit: win-lose by live sword) is combat to the death.

Seishin Chokudō (誠心直道) – a simple, yet meaningful, phrase intimately connected with the teachings of Miyamoto Musashi, and a favourite of my Niten Ichi-ryū teacher Iwami Toshio sōke. It means a "sincere mind" and a "straight path".

Musashi commented, "To move from one place to another, you slightly raise your toes and push off your foot from the heel, forcefully," and stressed "In my strategy the way of moving is no different from normal walking on a road."(1)

So let's consider the second above-mentioned statement first.

A universal feature of a human bipedal gait is an autonomic process consisting of coordinated movements of the upper extremities, lower extremities, trunk and pelvis.

The key feature is the contralateral swing of the arm and leg, along with a twisting of the waist, that results in reduced energy consumption while walking. It has also been shown that the contralateral arm swing has an essential role in increasing the stability of walking by preventing rotational trunk movements.

However, within the use of weapons, especially Japanese swordsmanship, we seek to use and allow rotational trunk and aligned whole body movements to initiate and generate power, after which it's typically converted into forward momentum.

This is why Bushi, centuries ago, learned to change their method of walking to an ipsilateral way, called namba-aruki, where the arm and leg from the same side of the body move together, rather than opposing sides using a natural contralateral way.

Additionally, the contralateral movement includes a heel-to-toe walking motion, where kinetic energy transfers or rolls into the ball of the foot as the heel strikes, and then allows for pushing off the ball and toes of that foot, rather than the heel.

The ipsilateral or namba-aruki movement has a profound impact on the human gait, and the way in which parts of the feet are used to maintain stability and generate power, that are uniquely suited to Japanese swordsmanship.

This is important when considering Musashi’s statement that "the way of moving is no different from normal walking on a road."

Now let's consider Musashi's comment "you slightly raise your toes and push off your foot from the heel".

When I spoke with various senior practitioners and teachers in my early years of koryū kenjutsu training, about why Musashi instructs us to raise our toes, various theories were suggested to me. Such as, it may be easier to step on and trap an opponent's foot or to avoid stubbing your big toe on a rock when fighting outdoors.

While these ideas may be true, they do little to explain how raising the toes affects the biomechanics of your body and movement, and its impact on important things like stability and weight distribution, and possible power generation through the heels.

Truthfully, until I met Ishida sensei I had never seen any shihan or practitioner, especially within Musashi's school of Niten Ichi-ryū, use this characteristic that Musashi admonishes, let alone any serious reasoning behind it that, in my view, had any merit.

In fact when I asked Ishida sensei why raising the toes doesn't seem to be widely used in Japanese swordsmanship, he said it was not very common in koryū nowadays because of the influence of Kendō, Gendaibudō and other modern sports, and that particular way of moving was rarely taught anymore.

He went on to instruct that while keeping the toes down, raising the heels and bouncing on the balls of the feet to push off from or rotate from might seem natural, traditional Japanese swordsmanship stemmed from a battlefield art that required wearing of Yoroi (armour) that weighed from 20kgs (44lbs) up to 30kgs (66lbs).

Therefore, Ishida sensei would always teach that the toes should be raised, especially the big toe, and the heels be attached to the ground. He said Musashi’s teachings were not alone in describing such footwork; Ishida sensei was taught similar principles in both Owari Yagyū Shinkage-ryū and Enmei-ryū (2).

In terms of the riai, or underlying rationale of this essential fundamental that I was taught, the raising of the toes does several important things.

Firstly, it creates a proper foot tripod for ideal stability. It raises the arch of the foot and engages the use of the outside of the foot which inhibits inward ankle roll. This then allows the outside muscles and tendons of the legs to carry the body’s weight and ensures that when the knees bend they do so in the direction towards and directly over the feet.

It also allows for optimal hip position and this combined alignment from the feet through the knees and legs to the hips provides the proper koshi stability for swordsmanship.

Often, even with advanced practitioners, by not raising the toes there's a tendency for the arch of the foot to collapse, which can create an inward roll of the ankle so that the weight ends up being carried on the inside of the legs. This commonly results in a visible inward collapse of the line through the lower extremity when the knee bends or flexes in applying techniques, and ultimately results in centre and koshi instability.

Secondly, and most importantly, by raising the toes, weight is placed in the heels rather than the balls of the feet. This allows our centre of gravity to shift backwards. This is important, as using weapons to strike and thrust results in our body weight and centre of gravity, which usually sits in the tanden inside the body, shifting forward. While this may not be immediately noticeable when using a weapon the regular length and weight of an authentic Japanese sword wielded in two hands, it is certainly apparent when using longer or heavier weapons, or using a real Daitō in one hand, as would've been the case with Nitō-ryū in the past.

So, by lifting the toes and placing our weight into the heels, we shift our centre of gravity backward and regain optimal stability, movement and power generation while cutting, striking or thrusting with a weapon.

In fact, Musashi warned against the use of certain types of footwork within Japanese swordsmanship, namely floating foot (uki-ashi), leaping/jumping foot (tobi-ashi), hopping foot (hanuru-ashi) and stamping/stomping foot (fumisuyuru-ashi), suggesting they have deficiencies.

In the case of Gorinnosho, there's no specific mention of what type of footwork Musashi suggests should be used, other than the alternate movement of the feet in the manner of walking and "moving is no different from normal walking on a road". As mentioned earlier, the context of this statement, and the era in which it was made, needs to be considered.

It is interesting to note that in Hyōdōkyō "The mirror of the way of strategy", an earlier work from Enmei-ryū, Musashi does reference the particular use of sliding or shuffling foot (suri-ashi).

While my late mentor and teacher, Ishida Hiroaki sensei, taught me to use suri-ashi, he instructed me in a particular way of sliding or shuffling the foot that differs from the concept as used widely in Kendō and other martial arts. That is, where many practitioners interpret suri-ashi as a sliding of the foot along the ground or floor, keeping the ball of the foot in contact with the surface while lifting the heel, Ishida sensei urged me to keep the heel in contact with the ground through the forward movement while lifting the toes. This takes continuous training and awareness to avoid sliding on the ball of the foot and letting the heel float.

Suri-ashi through the heel with the toes raised might appear as normal walking, but it’s not quite the same as the contralateral motion of walking where we use muscles and twisting of the waist to fight gravity to raise our weight up and push forward from the ball of the foot.

Rather, by keeping the heel area of both feet in contact with the ground during the suri-ashi movement, this type of footwork creates a drop in the centre of gravity and weight, and this dropping (otoshi) is also an important fundamental of proper cutting with a Japanese sword and other weapons.

Another key factor to consider is weight distribution over the legs, and how it's placed in relation to stance. Of course, this will differ from art to art, and ryūha to ryūha, but weight distribution is a fundamental physical consideration of the use of footwork and the issue of stance.

Other masters of prominent koryū kenjutsu schools have also admonished against the use of certain types of footwork and stances, concurring with Musashi's views.

For example, in Kashima Shin-ryū there's what is called the three aversions (mittsu no kirai) in which both floating foot and leaping/jumping foot, and fixed foot (sue-ashi), where bodyweight is distributed equally over both legs, are to be avoided at all costs.(3)

Weight distribution over the legs and the location of one's centre of gravity affect the efficacy and direction by which generated power can be transmitted.

In the same way, raising the toes and placing weight in the heels allows the swordsman to shift their centre of gravity, it can also be further manipulated through collection to dynamically shift the body weight backwards toward the rear leg to suit various weapons and techniques. Within collection, the rear knee is bent, the rear hip lowers, the pelvis tilts backward and the curve in the lower back straightens, all while maintaining our balance in the heels, with toes raised. This can also be described, in terms of stance and distribution, to sit the weight towards the rear leg, allowing that leg to contain energy, and generate genuine, compact power for flexible and fluid body movement with a weapon when moving from the centre, and making sudden changes of direction when needed.

In Japanese swordsmanship, this collection during motion also allows the ex*****on of techniques like sujiokaeru and hei-dachi (hōhei-ken) that rely on being able to change direction within a movement, while continuing to generate power and forward motion while striking, cutting or thrusting, and maintaining proper stability and equilibrium throughout that process.

Furthermore, in connection to power generation and movement within traditional Japanese swordsmanship or koryū kenjutsu, what I have come to understand from the teachings of Ishida sensei, is that we initiate motion and power generation from body rotation, that subsequently transfers into forward movement and momentum.

And this resultant forward body motion involves an ipsilateral movement that employs the principles of moving contained within namba-aruki (i.e. the old Bushi way of walking).

Of course, raised toes and pushing off from the heel, combined with the gokui of Emasu, is a fundamental teaching of koryū swordsmanship that was personally transmitted to me by Ishida sensei.

Finally, the above commentary in relation to Musashi's statements on footwork and movement from Gorinnosho are contextual to the riai and teachings transmitted within our school.

And although the underlying principles outlined above might be intellectually interesting and insightful to some, in truth they need to be demonstrated with techniques and examples, and explored through movement and practice of kata, in a body-to-body transmission, continuously to really understand. And, of course, such understanding differs from person-to-person.

The above is just my understanding, and your mileage may vary.

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(1) Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings: Kenji Tokitsu, 2006.
(2) Ishida Hiroaki sensei was inka/menkyo kaiden in Owari Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, menkyo in Enmei-ryū, and menkyo-kaiden in Niten Ichi-ryū and other ryūha.
(3) Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryū and Samurai Martial Culture: Karl Friday, Seki Humitake, 1997.