Sword and Mind

(Teachings of the Shinkage school of swordsmanship)

"Good weapons are unfortunate instruments.

People hate them. So someone with Tao does not rely on them . . .
Weapons are unfortunate instruments, and not the wise man's instruments.
When he uses them because there is no other choice,
he stresses straight-forwardness and, in victory, does not praise himself."
Lao Tzu, Section 31

Some Japanese vocabulary:

Heiho (hyoho): means, variously, all these things: swordsmanship, a sword fight,
a stratagem, strategy, tactics, and the art of war.
The T'ai-a: any of the three mythical swords wrought by Feng Hu-tzu in ancient C
hina.
Ikkyo: casting off a variety of diseases all at once.
Kamae: combat engagement postures.
Ken: observation, seeing with the eyes.
Kan: observation, seeing with the mind: insight.
Iro: color.
Sendan: original word for armor plate; also the word for sandalwood.
Ki: spirit.
Muto: no-sword technique; the art of taking an opponent's sword when you don't h
ave one of your own.
Tengue: goblin; a creature combining the qualities of a man and a crow, able to
fly and possess other superhuman abilities. According to legend, the great milit
ary commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189) was taught his trade by the ten
gue inhabiting Mt. Kurama in Kyoto.
Jo, ha, kyu: terms originally from Chinese dance music: the three movements of i

ntroduction, development, and finale. This concept of jo-ha-kyu has been applied
to swordsmanship and also to other fields, such as football (kemari) and renga
(linked verse).
Kenzen itchi: maxim "swordsmanship and Zen are one."
Fukuro-shinai: pacifist's sword made of bamboo and leather, less dangerous than
even a wooden blade.
Fudochi: the ideal Zen empty mind, perfectly controlled yet totally liberated. Q
uote from the sword teacher Takuan: "Fudo <immovable> does not mean the immobili
ty of a stone or a tree. The mind which moves over there, to the left, to the ri
ght, in the ten directions and in the eight directions, but does not tarry anywh
ere for a second, has fudochi . . ."

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Heiho Kaden Sho

Family-Transmitted Book on Swordsmanship

Vol. 1: The Shoe-Offering Bridge.

The Book of the Shinkage School of Swordsmanship

Anecdote of the early Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220): once an old man, crossing an
earthen bridge, dropped his shoe; a young man happening by quickly brought it ba
ck to him. As it turned out, the old man was the famous recluse Huang-shih Kung.
Touched by the young man's courtesy, he taught him the arts of war as conceived
by the sage Lu Shang, of the eleventh century BC; that same Lu Shang is said to
have guided the mythological sage king Wen in matter military. The name of the
courteous youth was Chang Liang, and he is said to have used this transmitted kn
owledge helping Liu Pang (247-195 BC) pacify the land and found the Han dynasty
as Emperor Kao-Tsu.

From this secret knowledge came these katas taught by the shinkage school.

1. The three elements are posture, arms and legs, and sword. These are the gate
for the beginner; begin your study with these. Learn also these five points, the
posture to adopt when facing an opponent:

-hold your body sideways to the opponent

-regard your opponent's fists as equal to your shoulders
-make a shield of your fists
-stretch out your left elbow
-put your weight on the forward knee and stretch out your rear knee.

This is the initial posture, which is called "the wheel". In this posture, hold
your sword; because you can rotate your sword, we have named it the wheel. Hold
your sword sideways, let your opponent cut toward your left shoulder and as he d
oes so, rotate your sword and win. Keep your posture low; it is a defensive post
ure, not an attack mode.

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The First Five Kata:

Itto Ryodan: splitting the opponent in two with a single stroke; a posture nickn
amed chinryu, 'a dragon crouching in the water.' You face your opponent sideways
, holding your sword on your right, downward, the sword tip facing away from you
. When he swings his sword down at your left shoulder, swing your sword up and i
n the wheel (in a semi-circle) striking his fists. As you do, your left shoulder
should twist away and avoid the enemy sword.

Zantei Setsutetsu: cutting through nails, severing steel. When the opponent hold
s his sword directly in front, like a shield, cross your sword with his at the r
idgeline a few inches from the tip. When he tries to push your sword aside, give
in, then swiftly swing it into his right arm with all your strength. Or, the mo
ment he strikes at your right shoulder, step forward with your left leg and stri
ke his fists or arm. Then if he swings his sword up for a second strike, strike
his left wrist with an upswing.

Hankai Hanko: turning halfway, facing halfway. When the enemy, holding his sword
somewhat to the right, strikes at your fists, dodge the blow by moving your swo
rd and yourself to the foe's right. When he then swings his sword up, step in an
d strike his left wrist.

Usen Saten: wheeling right, turning left. A technique used in close, quick comba
t. The instant the foe strikes at your left arm, slip to the left under the swor
d and strike his right arm. Or, the moment he strikes at your right arm, step to
the right and strike his arm.

Chotan Ichimi: long and short are one. When your enemy is a little too far from
you and assesses your moves but does not strike, seize an appropriate opportunit
y to lower your sword, hold it below your belly, and put your left shoulder forw
ard. When he strikes at your shoulder, thrust your sword forward with full force
and defeat him.

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The Nine Kinds (second kata set):

Described by sword masters as 1) backup methods to be used when you miss on your
first strike, and 2) techniques for tempting the foe to make a move, so that yo
u may make your counterstrike.

Hissho: sure victory. Hold your sword in a yin position: over the right shoulder
, blade slanting upward and back. When the foe strikes at your fists with a down
swing, strike his sword aside with a downswing, and as he lifts his sword for a
second blow, strike his hands with an upswing.

Gyakufu: cross wind. Hold your sword in a yin position; then quickly move to the
left side of your opponent, and give a downswing stroke. The moment he dodges,
move your sword to your left and, as he lifts his own sword, strike his hands. O
r, when he strikes with a downswing, you must hit his sword aside and, with a re
verse swing, strike his right arm. (The name of this move may derive from the sw
irling motion of the sword.)

Jutachi: cross-shaped sword. When you decide that parrying with your opponent is
getting you nowhere, seize the right moment to lower your sword to your navel a
nd hold it horizontally, directly in front, your left leg forward. When he steps
forward, you do the same; as he strikes, you strike his right wrist or fists wi
th an upswing. If he does not step forward but strikes with a downswing from the
initial posture, you must lift your sword and strike his arms with a slanting d
ownswing.

Kaboku: softening. When your foe holds his sword in front, facing you directly,
and does not make a move - then, step forward and touch his sword with yours fro
m the right side, a few inches from the point. The instant he steps forward in r
esponse, step aside to the right and strike his fists.

Shokei: shortcut. This is a technique to be used in a narrow space like an alley

where the brandishing of long swords is difficult. When the enemy strikes from
a yin position, stop him by holding your sword by the hilt with the left hand an
d by the ridgeline with your right hand. Then push his sword up and push yours d
own on him, or else thrust your sword forward into him from the point where you
stop his downswing strike.

Kozume: delicate parrying. Hold your sword in yin, or over your head. When the o
pponent moves forward, put your right left a little back, and the moment he stri
kes, step forward and strike his arms.

Ozume: large-scale parrying. When the foe holds his sword as you do, directly in
front, seize an opportunity to strike forward toward his face and smash his fis
ts. Or, when he moves forward, lift your sword a little and strike. (Unless the
timing is perfect, this move is likely to end with your enemy hitting you just a
s you hit him - not a desirable outcome.)

Yaegaki: eightfold or double fence. When your enemy holds his sword low at the r
ight knee, you also lower your sword and touch his with yours, a few inches from
the point. Then when he tries to push your sword aside, thrust yours forward in
to his chest. This is called 'pushing into a lion's den.'

Murakumo: rising cloud. When either combatant's moves are leading nowhere, seize
the moment to lower your sword to your right knee. Then, when he strikes at you
r fists, move your left leg forward, dodge his sword, and strike his arm.

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The Goblin's Selection (eight attack maneuvers):

Kasha (also Korinbo): flower wheel. When your opponent cuts at you with a downsw
ing, block his sword with yours, bring your right foot forward, and cut at him.
As he steps forward to strike, dodge to the left, bring your right foot forward,
and strike his fists. Or, when he takes a waiting stance, positioning his sword
in no specific way, move forward within striking distance and hold up your swor

d to the right. When he strikes at your left shoulder, strike back and win.

Akemi (also Fugenbo): open body. While parrying, move forward to feign attack an
d touch the foe's sword with yours a few inches from the tip. As the opponent bi
tes the bait and strikes at your fists, dodge instantly and strike his fists. Or
, the moment he tries to push your sword aside with his, step in and cut his arm
.

Zentai (also Tarobo): waiting fully. When the enemy strikes at your fists from a
midposition, block his sword with yours from above. As he tries to pull his swo
rd down to strike at your elbow with an upswing, push your blade forward forcefu
lly and strike his fists. (The illustrations make it plain that these swordsmen
always use a two-handed grip.)

Tebiki (also Eiibo): entrapment. When parrying to no clear avail, feign sudden w
ithdrawal by lowering your fists. Then, when the foe takes the bait and strikes
at your fists, quickly reverse the positions of your feet, forward and backward,
jerk your fists to the right to dodge the coming blow, and strike his fists.

Ranken (also Shutokubo): wild sword. Attack the enemy's right side, moving your
left leg right and holding your body sideways. As you strike at his sword with y
ours held in one hand, he pulls his up, then strikes at your left shoulder. As t
his occurs, strike his sword with an upswing blow, and holding your sword with b
oth hands, strike his fists.

Jo (also Nigusoku and Chiraten): introduction. Also Nigusoku: two instruments. T

his technique applies to fights against opponents with two swords. When the foe
faces you with his swords crossed in front of him, strike at the cross section t
o assess his response. If he lowers his left sword and strikes with his right, y
ou must move your left foot outward and cut at his right fist, instantly switchi
ng your attention to his left sword. The moment he attacks you with that sword,
strike his left fist. No one can use two swords simultaneously. But two swords c
an be used in quick succession. Beware of tricky feints and moves.

Ha (also Uchimono, Karanbo): development. Another technique for facing two sword
s. When the foe strikes at you with the sword in his left hand, move your right
foot to the right and strike that sword (ie the left sword) down. This was a fei
nt, meant to distract you. Then, as he then strikes at your fists with his right
sword, turn back and strike his fist.

Kyu (also Futarikake, Konpirabo): finale. This is a technique to deal with two f
oes: one to the right, one to the left. The moment you block the sword of the fi
rst attacker, switch your attention to the other man; the moment this second man
strikes at you, switch your attention to the first one. In actual combat, you m
ust deal with the two foes in quick succession, with powerful strikes, in the ma
nner of the gyakufu (cross wind) technique. ... When facing three opponents at o

nce, the assault from the one in the middle will be difficult to deal with. So m
ove quickly either to the left or to the right of the group, confronting a singl
e foe always at one time - with the moves of the other two blocked by that perso
n. The same principle applies when facing even more foes. Always, you must stay
close to the immediate opponent you are to dispose of. If you remove yourself fr
om striking distance of him, you put yourself in danger of being surrounded by t
he rest.

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Note: the following section details the "supreme manuevers" of the Shinkage scho
ol of swordsmanship. The goal of Shinkage is to strike at the fists to win, inju
ring the opponent as little as possible; to slash the skin and flesh, but not to
hurt the bones. Thus shinmyoken, divine sword, is so called because it overpowe
rs the opponent without injuring him with the sword; there is nothing beyond thi
s supreme technique. The sword master Muneyoshi's catalogue of katas lists eight
additional moves called hissho, "sure victories" but does not describe them: th
ese moves are named sarutobi (monkey flying), tsubame-mawashi (swallow turning),
tsukikage (moon and darkness), yamakage (mountain and darkness), uranami (bay w
aves), ukifune (floating boat), sekko (helmet breaking), and tobo (sword and sti
ck).

Supreme manuevers:

Tensetsu Ransetsu: close slashing, wild slashing. Hold your body sideways, posit
ioning your sword above your head with the left hand holding the forward positio
n on the hilt. The moment your enemy strikes at you with a downswing, swirl your
sword down to strike his wrists. If he brushes your sword aside, continue your
upswing and downswing swirls until you win.

Gokui: mastery. When your foe, holding his sword directly in front, swiftly and
relentlessly moves toward you, hold your sword downward to your right, dodge his
advance by quickly moving your right foot outward, and as he passes you, strike
him from behind.

Muniken: incomparable sword. When the foe faces you in tensesu-ransetsu posture,
hold your sword out in a low line, with the right foot forward and the left foo
t back, stretched out. The instant he strikes down at you, strike him with an up
swing.

Katsuninken: life-giving sword. When the foe positions his right leg forward wit
h sword lowered, assume the same posture and assess his moves and the striking d

istance. The moment he strikes, step forward, strike back, and win.

Shinmyoken: divine sword. When the enemy assumes the katsuninken posture, do the
same and move forward to attack. When he tries to dodge, move up to him, lay yo
ur sword across his chest, put your left leg between his legs, and push your kne
e against his - forcing him down.

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Additional instructions:

Jo, Ha, Kyu: these consist of a total of twenty-seven kiriai (actual-sword as op

posed to bamboo swords etc) fighting positions. Each section in a single beat (a
s used in music):
Jo: Jodan (3) Chudan (3) Gedan (3)
Ha: Jodan (3) Chudan (3) Gedan (3)
<Or Tobo Kiriai Sekko>
Kyu: Jodan (3) Chudan (3) Gedan (3)

....Jo=pre-attack, Ha = during attacking, Kyu = while exchanging blows. Jodan, c

hudan, and gedan are sword positions at the beginning of combat. Jodan is the sw
ord held with hands positioned in front at head level, the blade tilting up towa
rd its point; or else with hands above head, the cutting edge of the blade turne
d up, its tip tilting away from the enemy. Chudan is the sword held directly for
ward, hands poised at the level of the navel. Gedan is the sword held low, its t
ip downward. In Muneyoshi's catalogue of moves, ha is presented as Sekko (2) a s
ideward blow at the foe's neck; Tobo (3) striking the left arm of the opponent w
hen he tries to hold his sword horizontally, supporting the ridgeline with his l
eft hand, and Uchiai (4) exchanging blows.

End of The Shoe-offering Bridge . . .

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Volume Two

The Death-Dealing Blade

Note: The following are not katas. They are notes taken from the translation of
The Death-Dealing Blade and, without practical knowledge of swordsmanship, are a
lmost as abstract as the sections on military tactics/strategy in Sun Tzu's The
Art of War. I include them because I find them interesting.

The death-dealing sword is the sword which is poised to strike first. Thus, the
sword which is not poised to strike is called the life-giving sword.

Ken-tai: ken is the instant assault, the first strike. Tai is to hold back, with
out striking first, waiting for your opponent to attack. Thus, ken-tai is when y
our body is in a ken stance, your sword in a tai stance. The purpose of putting
your body in a ken stance is to force your opponent to strike the first blow. Du
ring this move, your mind must be in a tai mood. What matters is to win by makin
g your opponent make the first strike.

Tsuke, kake, narai no kakari: these three feints may be tried to provoke your op
ponent when his plans are hard to fathom. Work these tricks on an opponent firml
y ensconced in a waiting stance. Force him to make a move, and win.

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Volume Three

The Life-Giving Sword

In our school the sword that is positioned for attack is called the death-dealin
g sword, and the sword that is not, the life-giving sword.

There are a myriad combat postures, but only a few things matter. These are the
heart of swordsmanship: shuji shuriken, suigetsu, diseases, and the working of o
ne's limbs and body.

Shuji shuriken: shuji means blocking the opponent's sword with your own, crosswi
se from whatever position he strikes. Shuji is also the point on the chest, belo
w the chin, where the neck line of a Japanese coat meets and overlaps; in striki
ng the opponent, this is the mark to aim for. As for shuriken, this is gaining a
n insight into the enemy's plans and stratagems. Used together, the words shuji
shuriken mean: the spot to mark, or judging an opponent's tactics accurately. Th
e term also refers to certain esoteric practices, such as 'cutting the nine ideo
graphs' ie reciting nine magic words - for self-protection. Such practices were
originally Taoist, but have been taken up widely by yin-yang practitioners, Esot
eric Buddhists, Japanese swordsmen, and ninja; some warriors and ninja executed
it at daybreak every day, and many did so just before combat or a mission.

Suigetsu: 'the moon on the water'. This means forging your tactics by determinin
g the distance between you and your foe which makes it impossible for your foe's
sword to touch your body. The art of stepping inside that distance, unobtrusive
ly, to get close to the opponent is called 'the moon on the water'. Or according
to another source: suigetsu is judged by the length of the shadow an opponent c
asts; if you maintain a space between you and him equal to his height, they say,
then no matter how he slashes he cannot reach you. Thus suigetsu, in combat, is
the area in which you can strike an opponent. It is good to harass an opponent
outside the suigetsu, to see what happens.

Shinmyoken: divine sword. This is of ultimate importance. It is where the sword

settles; it is the seat of the sword, whether this sword is held leftwards or ri
ghtwards; the body has a spot so designated; it is the six-inch area around the
navel. Where the ken (the actual sword) is for your enemy, then shinmyoken for y
ou is to be ken (observation). Observe the seat of his sword. Thus, shinmyoken i
s judging the crucial point of the body.

Shin: divinity, core; what exists in the core of a tree, for instance, that its
external image may have myo: subtlety, exquisiteness - those things which, in a
tree for instance, are fragrance and greenery, blossom and flourishing life. Thu
s shinmyoken. Though you cut open the tree, you cannot find its shin - yet witho
ut shin, neither flowers nor greenery will be seen. Likewise, if a man has shin
in the seat of shinmyoken, a variety of myo appear through his hands and his fee
t "enabling the flowers to blossom in a fight".

"Diseases" are flaws of the mind and attitude, which a swordsman must rid himsel

f of. There are many diseases.

"Body and limbs" are one's own actions, and the actions of the opponent.

Daiki Taiyu: divine ability, divine transformation: "Everything has a tai, noume
non, and a yu, phenomenon. Where there is a tai, there is a yu. For example, the
bow is a tai; the acts of drawing it, shooting an arrow, and hitting the target
are all yu. The lamp is a tai; the light is a yu. The water is a tai; the moist
ure is a yu of the water. ... The sword is a tai; slashing or thrusting is a yu.

"In this sense, ki, mind, is a tai, and when things come out of the ki and work
variously, they are called yu. ... so do such moves as tsuke, kaka, double-deali
ng, and ken-tai come outside because of the existence of the ready ki inside. Su
ch external workings are called yu. Dai of daiki means 'great' and is honorific.
"

"...A Zen phrase says, 'When a great yu manifests itself, it transcends rules.'
A man of daiki taiyu does not at all concern himself either with things learned
or with laws. In everything , there are things learned, laws, and proscriptions.
Someone who has attained the ultimate state brushes them aside. He does things
freely, at will. Someone who goes outside the laws and acts at will is called a
man of daiki taiyu."

Noumenal training: training which aims for the free state, the void, in which yo
u do not concern yourself with anything and you discard your mind. But phenomena
l training is the training of kata, postures, blows, etc; though you have master
ed the ultimate noumenal training, without phenomenal training it is nothing. "N
oumenon and phenomenon ought to be like the two wheels of a cart."