Friday 27 December 2013

Last few iai/jo seminars of 2013

Righto, it's been a while since my last post and I've now decided to use this blog to write reports about any seminars I attend. The main purpose of these posts will be to keep a record of what is taught and when so I can look back and remind myself of precisely what was said. As I have been to four seminars since my last post, I will make a brief summary of each one with an approximate list of the teachers present (sadly, my memory is not perfect so I will more than likely forget some teachers) as well as the points that were mentioned. I hasten to add that not all these points will be from the Seitei books but instead of trying to sift through the points to separate general advice from ZNKR criteria, I'll just include everything. After the New Year, I hope to make comprehensive notes on the points that are mentioned and the teachers present and to write it all up in a proper report but for now, my incomplete memory will have to suffice for this. Here goes...


20th October 2013 - October Kanagawa Iaido Seminar

This seminar was held in Matsudacho Sports Centre and was headed by Ishido Shizufumi Sensei. Although the lineup included such Hanshis as Shojima Hiroyuki Sensei (庄島弘介先生) and Ozaki Makoto Sensei (尾崎誠先生), the groups were taught by Ono Nobuyoshi Sensei (小野信義先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 6dan group), Saida Sensei (才田先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 5dan group), Kiyota Sensei (5dan group), Takeuchi Michiko Sensei (竹内迪子先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 4dan group), Takeda Nobuyuki Sensei (武田信之先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 4dan group), Kobayashi Mitsuo Sensei (小林光雄先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 3dan group) and Orihara Yasuyuki Sensei (折原靖幸先生, 7dan Kyoshi; 2dan and below group) with Ishido Sensei taking a special grading group for those taking 6dan and 7dan and Nakada Sensei floating from group to group and making additional comments.

In this seminar, there was no central gathering to go through the points; we just split up in groups, each running as a kind of separate mini-seminar. Takeda Sensei took us through one of the most intensive warm-ups I've ever experienced at an iai seminar, involving push-ups and squat thrusts. We then proceeded to go through each form three or four times with both Takeuchi Sensei and Takeda Sensei occasionally stopping us, seitei book in hand, to bring up points. The vast majority of points were just reminders(not dropping the tip in furikaburi, hikinuki in Morotetsuki, etc...) but I was given a couple of specific points to work on, including straightening the wrist at the end of ochiburi (I have been told my wrist goes a little limp). All-in-all, it was a great seminar with plenty of good points mentioned without letting the whole thing turn into leg- and mind-numbing talk.


27th October 2013 - October Kanagawa Jodo Seminar

Held at Komazawa Gakuen Junior High School (駒沢学園中学校), the seminar was headed by Otake Toshiyuki Sensei and we were lucky enough to have seven of Kanagawa's nine 8dan Kyoshis, the two absentees being Ishido Sensei and Yano Kiyonori Sensei (矢野清徳先生):

Yamamoto Sensei
Yamaguchi Kaoru Sensei
Otake Toshiyuki Sensei
Hayashi Eiko Sensei (林映子先生)
Kotsuka Reiko Sensei (小塚禮子先生)
Yano Taeko Sensei (矢野多衛子先生)
Kaminosono Fumio Sensei (神之園文男先生)

Kaminosono Sensei was assigned to teach the 4dan group and took a shine to Lucy and I so he spent most of the seminar teaching us. One thing that has to be said about Kaminosono Sensei is that his technique is absolutely devastating. Standing at around 5' tall with a stocky build, his jodo is very compact but incredibly powerful, not just in terms of physical strength (he's a relatively young 8dan) but also in excellence of technique. Unfortunately for me, I am close to a foot taller than him with longer limbs so I am simply not capable of doing jodo like him, no matter how much I try. I have however made it a challenge to myself to incorporate what he is teaching me and adapt it to my own technique. The main lesson at this seminar was with regards to taiatari and bringing the hips into play; this is something that I have always struggled with and will keep working on.


17th November 2013 - November Kanagawa High Grade Seminar

This seminar was held in the very nice and modern Suwa Elementary School (諏訪小学校) in Yokosuka and was attended by the same teachers as outlined above with the addition of Ishido Sensei. After the usual opening words of thanks to various people for coming and words of encouragement, Otake s. handed out copies of the High Grade Jodo Study and Training Materials (杖道高段者研修資料) published by the ZNKR and took us through it for about 30mins. It mostly had to do with refereeing, mentioning which rei to do in which situation, how to roll the flags up, how to sit and general shinpan behaviour.

We then moved on to the actual kata with Hayashi s. and Kotsuka s. demonstrating tachi and jo respectively and Otake s., book in hand, taking us through the points as outlined in the book. After a few forms, we would then split up into groups with 5dans partnering 4dans ("high grade" in Kanagawa is 4dan and above) and 7dans partnering 6dans. Yano s. took one group of 4-5dans, Hayashi s. took the other and Kaminosono s. took the 6-7dans. With Yano s.'s group, we just went through the forms one after the other while she wandered up and down offering points to work on; in my case, that usually involved straightening my head.

Unfortunately, I completely forgot my book or any writing materials for this seminar but there were two points which stuck in my mind: in kamae-o-toku for tachi side, the kissaki should be six centimetres below the opponent's knee and the left hand should be in the centre of the body just below obi-height (this goes for when jo-side has assumed tsune-no-kamae as well as when tachi has lowered the sword as in the end of Tsukizue); the footwork for tachi in Raiuchi after the second cut is ayumi-ashi (歩み足; lit. "walking foot"), not tsugi-ashi (継足; lit. "succeeding foot")

This last point may not mean much to the majority of non-Japanese-speaking non-kendo jodoka as, in the practice of jodo, there is little reference to all the different ashi-sabaki to be found in kendo. Until that seminar, I had always been under the impression that the correct footwork was tsugi-ashi, where the right foot is pulled back to the left before pushing the left foot back. The problem with this is that it always leaves the distance far too close, especially if one goes by the the ZNKR stipulation of not moving the left foot when taking kamae-o-toku and keeping the okuri-ashi (送り足; lit. "sending foot") foot position. Ayumi-ashi, however, allows both sides to be at a sensible and safe distance for the jo, even if the distance after jo takes honte-kamae is a little far.


Lastly for this post, I will finish off by mentioning the last two practices of the year, which took place today and yesterday. These were special grading practices for the four dojo members going for their 6dan next month but, since I'm on holiday from school and have nothing better to do (besides which, my own grading is coming up soon), I was also invited. Although these practices took place at Shinbukan Ishido Dojo, Otake s. was also in attendance both days and did most of the teaching, with Ishido s. occasionally popping in with questions or extra advice. I can honestly say that although both sensei focused mostly on the 6dan gradees, these have been two of the best jodo practices I have ever had. The advice came thick and fast (mostly yesterday) so I have plenty to work on over the next four months and I have written it all up below.

Tandoku-dosa
  • Honte-uchi - during the actual strike, the front hand should only go up slightly, as much as is natural.
  • Hiki-otoshi-kamae - fingers on the top hand should be pointing straight up.
  • Kaeshi-tsuki - this should be done with the hips and with the rear foot pointing forward (at an angle of less than 90 degrees).
  • Gyakute-tsuki - when taking kamae, the movement should come from the turning of the hips and the raising of the left hand, not by bringing the right hand back.
  • Maki-otoshi - there should be no unnecessary movements before making the technique.
  • Dobarai-uchi - the body and foot positions for dobarai should be identical to hikiotoshi-kamae; the pulling through of the jo should be done by raising the right hand up not pushing the left hand down or forward.
  • Taihazushi-uchi - don't drop the upper hand below head height before the strike
Kata
  • Kasumi - start moving into awase after tachi side stops in distance.
  • Tachiotoshi - first strike is to the centre of the head (josaki between the ears).
  • Raiuchi - don't bring the left hand down lower than it needs to go before the second tsuki; push the left foot straight in for the second tsuki.
  • Seigan/Ranai - jo-hasso: right hand should be above the right ear, left hand at suigetsu level with the wrist bent outward.
  • Midaredome - don't go too far forward in the kuritsuke
  • Ranai - when jo makes the seme to the eyes, tachi should lean back slightly with the sword at the same angle as for Ukenagashi in Seitei Iai; keep your back straight after kuritsuke; after the second tsuki to the wakibara, return to the centre line going back a little; (tachi) just block jo's honte strike naturally, pushing the tachi up and forward from your head; on the left-footed right-handed honte strike, push the right hip into it; body should be in ma-hanmi on the evasion.
Otake s. also gave a couple of general points: maintain pressure in the balls of the feet, rear heel slightly raised off the ground; whenever there is a tsuki followed by a hikiotoshi-uchi, make sure the rear foot is angled with the toes pointing forward on the tsuki and turn the foot slightly clockwise when taking hikiotoshi-kamae; avoid making small techniques; always keep your legs slightly bent.