Kusarigama of Isshin Ryu 一心流 (Type 3) - The Influence of Shinto Muso Ryu Jojitsu

On close observation of the Kusarigama kata of Isshin Ryu, you can notice something quite startling - there are some movements where the Kusarigama effectively mimics a Jo.

I found this a little startling when I first noticed it - even though it should probably come as no surprise. Isshin Ryu was originally a comprehensive martial art, however the Kusarigama was subsumed in to Shinto Muso Ryu.

On first thought you may think that it would be ported across unchanged, however this would make little sense - it does however mean it is hard to draw conclusions about Isshin Ryu as it is to my mind obviously adapted.

I often look at blocking a sword cut with the chain and flinch, and then try to come up with ideas about how this may work - are they attacking the arms in reality, are they smothering etc?

Blocking in this manner may of course make a lot of sense with the Jo.

If I look at the following items I can clearly see an Shinto Muso Ryu influence - I therefore wonder if they should be disregarded in terms of authentic Kusarigama?

TSUKI HAZUSHI UCHI - an explanation for blocking with the chain?

DO BARAI

KURI TSUKE

MAKI OTOSHI

HIKI OTHOSHI

Opening the front foot and turning the body.

The distance between the hands when holding the Kusarigama is similar to the Jo.

Spear (Yari) in Owari Kan Ryu 尾張貫流 (Kudayari & others)

Owari Kan ryū is known for its use of the kuda-yari (tube spear). The e (shaft) is run through a kuda (metal pipe) that’s in the front hand of the practitioner. Interestingly the school’s students start training by doing shiai (competition) and only after considerable training they learn the school's kata (forms). Most classical schools that practice shiai do so after learning kata. Thrusting using the kuda. Cross-stepping. Thrusting attack with kuda. Wide stance. Shiai. Shiai using a spear with a cross piece. The original demonstration from which these stills were taken is here:

The Structure of the Tenshinshoden Katori Shinto Ryu Syllabus

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

Australia’s Turning Point – Signals Intelligence leading to the Battle of the Coral Sea

Australian/American Signals cooperation was not only important in stopping the Japanese advance to Australian shores but marked the beginning of Australia embedding its forces with the United States rather than simply furnishing troops for the British. Whilst the British, in my opinion , had a long history of using Commonwealth troops to either protect their colonial interests or to take on deployments with high expected rates of attrition, when Australia faced the real possibility of invasion with the vast majority of its troops and equipment deployed overseas, it was the Americans, whose interests in the Pacific aligned with our own, that were on hand to push the Japanese back from our shores. The Battle of the Coral Sea saw the beginnings of the deployment of Australian sea power under direct American command, a joint approach that would continue to the present time – it was, however, Signals Intelligence that led the way to the embedding of US/Australian forces and played a major

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