Understanding Japanese Swordsmanship

Throughout the years many students have approached me asking which art best clearly conveys the philosophies and practical applications of Japanese swordsmanship- Kendo or Iaido? My answer to them is this; in my opinion the practitioner must delve into the study of both arts in order to receive a better understanding of Japanese swordsmanship as a whole. We must first remember that Kendo comes from Kenjutsu in which the fight starts with blades drawn, while Iaido originates from Battojutsu and focuses on the process of drawing and cutting, therefore making the practice methods of these two arts very different. Questions is how do these methods differ and how do they benefit each other.

In making this analysis, the first obvious difference is the equipment utilized for the practice of these two arts. In kendo, bogu (armor), and shiani (bamboo sword) are used for the primary practice of this art which basically entails sparring, or Ji- Keiko. Which means that the practitioner may never come into actual contact with a katana, raising the question; if you never handle a sword then how would you understand how to use it? In contrary to Kendo, Iaido utilizes the katana for its general practice, which consists of kata, a series of prearranged techniques. The question raised in this case would be; how will the practitioner ever develop a sense of timing and distance if never confronted with an opponent?

Over the decades Kendo has become watered down, and emphasis placed more on the sport of Kendo rather than the origins of Kendo, despite the efforts of the All Japan Kendo Federation. This emphasis eliminates the necessity to develop proper cutting technique and focuses more on how to score a point. It is fact that the methods used to cut in Kendo would be ineffective in battle and would not even deliver a finishing blow onto the opponent. Usually the term cutting the opponent is replaced with striking or hitting the opponent, once again eliminating the true nature of Kendo’s martial background. Of course if the practitioner is destined never to handle a sword, only a bamboo representation of a sword, focus was certain to change from martial to sport. The benefit Kendo has to offer, however, which is not available to Iaido practitioners, is the interaction with an opponent, which brings about an understanding of distance, tactics, and timing, which is essential for combat in swordsmanship.

Iaido, on the other hand, does not provide the opportunity to confront an opponent in an open match, which eliminates all the positive aspects Kendo has to offer and only leaves the practitioner with the theories presented in kata. However, Iaido does offer a clear understand of proper cutting technique and proficiency in the manipulation of the katana, an essential component of swordsmanship. It is fact that the cutting method in Iaido is lethal as proven through tameshigiri, test cutting.

In conclusion, in order to receive a complete understanding of Japanese swordsmanship, a practitioner would need to practice Kendo in order to understand the vital elements and practical application of distance as well as timing, and practice Iaido for an understanding of actual sword mechanics and manipulation along with proper cutting methods. In my opinion, it is impossible to fully comprehend one without the other.

Hayashizaki Jinsuke and His Sword

It has been almost two months since I started my research on Hayashizaki Jinsuke in order to understand what type of blade he used to create Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. Part of the reasoning behind my research is to determine which nagasa, length, and sugata, shape, is most appropriate for the study of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. I believe to best understand the techniques of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and its practical application; we must first understand the origins of its creation and what was used to create it. My second reason is to determine which line of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu is most authentic, since some lines claim that in order to practice Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido its practitioners must use blades of extreme length, such as the line headed by Sekiguchi Komei.

What is known of Hayazaki Jinsuke, much like what is known of Musashi Miyamoto, is quite skeptical. There are actually a few regions that lay claim to him, however the stories are all quite parallel. It is understood that he was born between 1542 and 1546 in either Oshu, or Sagami. It is believed that his father was murdered, and this event is what triggered his intensive interest in swordsmanship, in which he was to devise a new method of drawing and cutting in one swift action. Several sources indicated that he left his home town and went to either Hayashizaki Myojin Shrine in Yamagata Prefecture or Hikawa Shrine in Saitama Prefecture where he trained for 18 years and is said to have received “divine inspiration” from the Kashima gods. He named his sword muso ken, sword inspired by a vision, which later would become the name of his system, Muso Hayashizaki Ryu, between 1601- 1615. After receiving this “divine inspiration” he set out on musha- shugyo, dueling samurai to determine the greater fighting system. His quest took him to Kyoto to avenge his father’s death. While in Kyoto tales of his new fighting style made their way to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in which he granted Hayashizaki with the title of Tenka Muso, no equal under heaven. While on musha- shugyo he also picked up many followers, one of which was Tamiya Heibei, founder of Tamiya Ryu and swordmanship instructor to the Tokugawa family which may have eventually led to the spread of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu.

Hayashizaki Jinsuke’s fighting system was developed during a period of great turmoil in Japan’s history. The late Muromachi period during 1467- 1572 was recognized as one of Japan’s bloodiest times, this era was known as the Sengoku Jidai, the country at war. Swords were in constant demand and improvements in design were ever changing. During this time we see a change from tachi, worn hanging from the belt with armour, to katana, worn in the belt with the cutting edge turned upward. This change brought about the daisho, consisting of katana and wakizashi. There was also a distinct change in nagasa and sugata. The uchigatana was first introduced during this time. Its unique features include a deep sori, curvature, the nasaga, length, was about 60 to 65cm, making it about 10cm shorter than previous blades, as well as a shortened nakano, tang, making the handle shorter and more suitable for katate waza, one handed techniques. These blades were in “style” from 1532- 1592, which coincides with the development of Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, which places a heavy emphasis on battojutsu, drawing and cutting art. It would be safe to say that the development of this style could not have happened without the development of the uchigatana.

After the uchigatana movement we see a shift in blade design once again, between 1596- 1615, which coincides with the final stages of Hayashizaki’s development of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. These blades where known as Keicho Shinto blades, named after the Keicho Era during the Momoyama period. The term Shinto, new sword, comes into play for the first time during this era as well, which refers to the new methods and trends in sword production due to the reorganization of commercial centers moving smiths away from ideal sword making environments into areas that were not so conducive for sword making. Swords made prior to this time period were known as koto, old sword. The blades of the Keicho Shinto era were a bit longer, and measured between 73- 76cm. These blades featured a shallower sori with a slightly longer nakano, making them more suitable for two handed combat yet short enough to effectively draw and cut. The sugata of these blades also made them more suitable for daisho. It is believed that many new schools of kenjutsu flourished during this time and had a large effect on the development of these blades.

When we overlap Hayashizaki Jinsuke’s life story with that of the katana, we can come to a fairly accurate conclusion on what type of blade Hayashizaki Jinsuke used to design and create Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu around. If the final stages of development were between 1601 and 1615, this would place him well into the Keicho Era. His blade must have been a Keicho Shinto blade around 73- 76cm long with a mid- sized tsuka, handle, and fairly shallow sori.

In conclusion, it would be safe to say, that in order to understand the methods and practical application of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, we would need to use a blade of the Keicho Shinto style, just like if we where to study Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu properly we would need to use an uchigatana. This theory would rule out any other line that would lay claim to the fact that Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu used an exaggeratedly long blade like that of the Sekiguchi Komei line or any other line that may claim to just the opposite.

Example of a Katana made in the Keicho Shinto Style.