Practical Martial Arts Association

Rare glimpses.

Interestingly, the translation of the Shoninki by Antony Cummins' team  True Path of the Ninja   includes as an appendix a detailed account of the Ninjutsu given by Otake called  Defence Against A Ninja , who provided a forward to the work.  It is really quite rare to find any information on the subject with regards to Katori Shinto Ryu.

A very interesting video taken in 1969, especially when compared with more recent footage.  I believe more is shown here that is usual and that it gives some insight into the turns done in Naginata which are often a bit of a puzzle for a non member like me. A more recent NHK documentary The old BBC Way of the Warrior Series Kendo World HQ YouTube clips

It should be noted that the current head, Otake Risuke, has commented that not all of the parts of Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto Ryu survive.  I recall his comments in various documentaries that Archery was once a component, and only some of the spear survives. Through various sources, mostly Otake's book, I have put together this brief outline of their syllabus, however I have little idea of the exact stage each is taught except that I believe the students start with Omote no Tachi.  I will use this as the basis for further posts and may add to it over time. I believe their are important implications when Otake says that one of the main reasons for training all the weapons is to train the swordsman against them. Note in this section in brackets are my own comments and should therefore not be relied upon, those from the written work of Otake are clearly marked. Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto Ryu -Kenjutsu (Otake lists Tachi, Ryuto and Kodachi under Kenjustsu) --Tachi (Use of the singl

The work of William de Lange is highly recommended. He produced this short documentary series to accompany his book 'A Life In Arms'.  Update 2019 - people can now view the author's comprehensive website dealing with Musashi here .

A free PDF can be found here - I have only provided a link to the location of the file as I have not been able to determine whose work this is or the copyright status.  If you know anything about this document please let me know in the comments.  The translation I most prefer is that of Tokitsu .

The following links show some examples of art attributed to the man himself: Kampaibudokai  here . MusashiMiyamoto.com  here . Trangsformation blog  here .

Some interesting notes from Kampaibudokai can be found here . There are 5 two sword kata. 1 chudan 2 jodan 3 gedan 4 waki gamae (hidari) 5 migi waki gamae

Interesting notes on the kata from Kampaibudokai can be found here . There are seven short sword kata. 1 sassen 2 chudan 3 uke nagashi 4 moji gamae 5 haritsuke 6 nagashi uchi 7 aisen

There are twelve long sword kata.  You can find some interesting notes on the kata from Kampaibudokai here . 1 sassen (sashi sen) 2 hasso hidari 3 hasso migi 4 uke nagashi hidari 5 uke nagashi migi 6 moji gamae 7 haritsuke 8 nagashi uchi 9 tora bura 10 kazuki 11 aisen uchidome 12 amashi uchi

This demonstration would seem to include some rarely seen Jujutsu.

What I believe is the old NHK series is unique in showing some Bojutsu.

Most streams of Niten Ichi Ryu contain: 24 Kenjustu kata made up of - 12 long sword - 7 short sword - 5 two sword 20 Bojutsu kata (rarely seen) made up of - 7 Bo vs Bo - 13 Bo vs Sword Different streams also contain various Oyo-waza, although information is scarce - the exact makeup varies between groups. - Jitte (6) - Aikuchi (Roppo) (5or 6) (dagger without guard/Jujutsu) - Sessa? (5) (no idea what this is, possibly a tool or Jujutsu)

Itto Ryu is a prolific sword school in terms of existing branches, as noted previously some of these were instrumental in the formulation of Kendo. An article by Meik Skoss , which is  here , gives a brief description of: Ono-ha Itto-ryu Mizoguchi-ha Itto-ryu Nakanishi-ha Itto-ryu Kogen Itto-ryu Hokushin Itto-ryu Itto Shoden Muto-ryu

The fundamental Kata: Demonstration on Kendo World

Itto Ryu is one of the main schools of Japanese sword and was highly influential in the formulation of modern Kendo.  One of the interesting features is the use of 'Onigote' or 'Devils gloves' - it is interesting to think of what a difference training equipment can make - certainly two of the most important schools (Ono Ha Itto Ryu & Yagyu Shinkage Ryu) made a lot out of their use of training tools.  Next to the Onigote are a pair of Kendo Kote for comparison. Much of the information with regards to the syllabus and some central ideas I found already collated in a work by Guy Buyens which can be found  here . Please note that for the most part, the following is a direct copy of Buyens work.  Please see his original article for more detailed information - link above. There are many Kata (形)in Ono-ha Itto Ryu. Each Kata is performed by Shidachi (受太刀), against Uchidachi (打太刀), who wears Onigote (鬼籠手), protective gloves (lit devil’s gloves).  In Ono-ha Itto Ryu, Uchi

As a note the recommended length and weight for shinai are: - Women 38 inches 440 grams. - Men 39 inches 510 grams. The Wikipedia shinai page lists the following tables: Regulations In  kendo  competitions that follow the FIK rules, there are regulated weights and lengths for the use of  shinai .  Table A. FIK Specifications for competition use of one Shinai (Itto). Specification Gender Junior High School (12–15 yrs) Senior High School (15–18 yrs) University students and Adults (18yrs+) Maximum length Male & female 114cm 117cm 120cm Minimum weight Male 440g 480g 510g Female 400g 420g 440g Minimum diameter of sakigawa Male 25mm 26mm 26mm Female 24mm 25mm 25mm Minimum length of sakigawa Male and Female 50mm 50mm 50mm Shinai  are weighed complete with leather fittings, but without  tsuba  or  tsuba-dome . The full length is measured. Maximum diameter of the  tsuba  is 9cm. Table B. FIK Specifications for competition use of two Shinai (Nito). Specification Gender Daito (long shinai) Sh

A link to the Australian Kendo Renmei Manual of Documents Section Two can be found  here . Page 5 sets out grading requirements.

Kendo Nito Ryu - this blog concentrates on Nito in Kendo.  There is also an interesting resource section with some free pdf guides for beginners etc.  Find it  here . Out of interest, some of the Musashikai page can be found in English  here . Kendo World - Kendo Kata Kendo World NHK Video - Nito

A very interesting article - which can be found here .

From the Kendo World channel - the winner of the 62nd All Japan championships whilst still in university.  This highlight package had some interesting disarms and body contact.

Simply links to official AJKF Kendo Kata videos. A playlist from the Japanese version can be found here .

Kasumi Shinto Ryu or Shinto Ryu kenjutsu is a small syllabus with a lot to do with the main line of Jodo.  The system comprises 12 standing forms, 8 of which are for the longsword (Odachi) and 4 with the short sword (kodachi).  • Ai suri (Sa)  • Ai suri (Yu)  • Jū  • Chi barai  • Sarin  • Uke nagashi  • Nitō ai  • Suri komi  • Inchū  • Uke kaeshi  • Miuki dome  • Tsuki dashi

I can't remember where and when I made a copy of this but an interview with Shimizu is obviously of some interest - I have made no corrections to the text even though I would say there may be some errors - if anyone remembers where the copy of it or the translation came from please let me know so I can attribute it: Article and interview – Shimizu Sensei The greatest sword fighter, Musashi Miyamoto made only one mistake in his life over the sword fighting. That was when he was fighting with Gonnosuke Musou. Gonnosuke often used a stick for trainings. Takaji Shimizu is Gonnosuke’s 27th direct descendent. He took over the stick fighting technique and is teaching it in the police academy in Tokyo. When we had this photo shoot the following people helped us: Ichitarou Kurota, Morio Wagatuma, Jouji Hiroi, Tunamori Shinnota (Godan), Kouta Komeno(Godan). Photo descriptions: left one (Top on the page) The cane is about 5 feet of simple stick. However, when Takaji uses it, it turned into a

The always solid NHK Sports Japan series: Otake often visited Perth, invited by Ah Loi Lee

The Shindo Muso Ryu system is well known and well documented since the time of Shimizu Takaji post-Meiji restoration.  As such it is quite easy to get hold of the syllabus information and the following is compiled mainly from Wikipedia entries and other Jodo sources, none of the notes or descriptions are my own.  Note the basics can be seen in the Seitei Jodo post.  Another good source of information can be found here . Twelve basics The twelve basic techniques are used in both Shintō Musō-ryū and in the Seitei jōdō of the All Japan Kendō Federation (Zen Nihon Kendō Renmei, ZNKR, 全日本剣道連盟), although the latter uses a slightly modified version.  1 Honte uchi (本手打 main strike)  2 Gyakute uchi (逆手打 reverse-grip strike)  3 Hikiotoshi uchi (引落打 downward-pulling strike)  4 Kaeshi tsuki (返突 counterthrust)  5 Gyakute tsuki (逆手突 reverse-grip thrust)  6 Maki otoshi (巻落 downward twist)  7 Kuri tsuke (繰付 spin and attach)  8 Kuri hanashi (繰放 spin and release)  9 Tai atari (体当 body strike)  10 Tsuki