How to use a Wakizashi

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Ohaio gozaimasu! I am looking for a DVD or book on the basics of using the Wakizashi. Would anyone know where to find such an instructional manual?

Any help would be appreciated.

Domo arigato gozaimashta!

Randall

[DDATFUS]

I thought I might as well go ahead and start giving you the standard e-budo warning: you can't learn much swordwork from a book or video-- time with a qualified teacher is pretty much essential. Maybe if you have an extensive sword background and just want to get a sense of how to adapt what you already know to the wakizashi, a video would do you some good, but self-teaching is just not the recommended path.


If you are just doing research, I would guess that The Deity and the Sword contains some descriptions and illustrations of the TSKSR short-sword forms--- good luck trying to find a copy. You could also look through the Nihon Kobudo video series (try budovideos.com) for footage of old-school kodachi work. It's interesting stuff to read about and watch, but pretty much impossible to get anything out of trying to replicate it.

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Thank you for the reply, David.

I have some experince with Ken. And since I have retired from Budo, my interest is really academic. Trying to resurrect or duplicate its use is beyond me, however the mind is ever questioning. I was looking through a series of DVDs online and wondered if the Waki was used essentially in the same way as Tanto, as illustraited in Tanto Jutsu. Since the Waki is a later companion blade for the Samurai (according to information published on bugei.com) replacing the older Tanto or Hamadashi, I was curious to see if its general usage was the same.

Again, I do appreciate your response!

Domo arigato gozaimashita!

Randall







I thought I might as well go ahead and start giving you the standard e-budo warning: you can't learn much swordwork from a book or video-- time with a qualified teacher is pretty much essential. Maybe if you have an extensive sword background and just want to get a sense of how to adapt what you already know to the wakizashi, a video would do you some good, but self-teaching is just not the recommended path.


If you are just doing research, I would guess that The Deity and the Sword contains some descriptions and illustrations of the TSKSR short-sword forms--- good luck trying to find a copy. You could also look through the Nihon Kobudo video series (try budovideos.com) for footage of old-school kodachi work. It's interesting stuff to read about and watch, but pretty much impossible to get anything out of trying to replicate it.

[TomT404]

Try this video I have it and really like it. http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=22915&cat=&page=1

Tom Thornton

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Thank you, Tom! I know of this video but I was afraid to buy just to get a video not being sure to get the kind of information I was looking for.

Randall


Try this video I have it and really like it. http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=22915&cat=&page=1

Tom Thornton

[TomT404]

You should check it out. In the video they use a tanto in almost half the techniques even though the subject is short sword. You should also check out the tantojutsu video. When you compare the two you will see that both the tanto and short sword are used in almost the same way. They do have some slight differences though like the tanto is shorter and can be used at a closer range. Anyways the videos are worth adding to your video library.

TomThornton

[Brian Owens]

Bookwise, you could try Looking At A Far Mountain, a treatise on the Kendo-no-Kata.

It includes both the daito and the shoto forms.

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Domo arigato, Owens-san!

I have put the video on my list and am looking up for a copy of this book.

Randall






Bookwise, you could try Looking At A Far Mountain, a treatise on the Kendo-no-Kata.

It includes both the daito and the shoto forms.

[Brian Owens]

Domo arigato, Owens-san!

I ...am looking up for a copy of this book.
Doitashimashite.

One source for the book is Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Far-Mountain-Tuttle-Martial/dp/0804832455/sr=8-1/qid=1168496871/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-1854207-0511145?ie=UTF8&s=books), with HQ here in Seattle.

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/0804832455.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_V62410540_.jpg

HTH.

[DDATFUS]

Randall, somewhere online I stumbled across some videos that show TSKSR kodachi kata, which might be of interest to you. You might want to peruse youtube, searching by the names of specific koryu, and see what you turn up. Also, there is a book available on amazon on the Shinkage-ryu which shows a kodachi being used on the front cover. I've heard some practitioners of Shinkage-ryu give that particular book less than rave reviews, but if you just want to get a general idea of how the kodachi was used in combat, it might not be a bad place to start.

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Excellent! Thank you, again, Brian.

I just ordered the video and now this book.
These should help to answer the questions I have about the use of the Samurai's companion sword.

Randall




Doitashimashite.

One source for the book is Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Far-Mountain-Tuttle-Martial/dp/0804832455/sr=8-1/qid=1168496871/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-1854207-0511145?ie=UTF8&s=books), with HQ here in Seattle.

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/0804832455.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_V62410540_.jpg

HTH.

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

Thank you, David. There are some amazing things out on YouTube. I rarely look there, but I should more often. In fact, not long ago I found some examples of the various schools of Taijiquan for a friend. It was stunning to find examples of the various forms being demonstrated by the head figures floating out in the internet.
Very cool!

Randall





Randall, somewhere online I stumbled across some videos that show TSKSR kodachi kata, which might be of interest to you. You might want to peruse youtube, searching by the names of specific koryu, and see what you turn up. Also, there is a book available on amazon on the Shinkage-ryu which shows a kodachi being used on the front cover. I've heard some practitioners of Shinkage-ryu give that particular book less than rave reviews, but if you just want to get a general idea of how the kodachi was used in combat, it might not be a bad place to start.

[ramcgrew@mcgrew]

I would like to thank everyone who helped me find the information needed.
The Ken Jitsu #4 is just what I was looking for, and fits in with the other videos I had forgotten I had of this style!

The book will follow shortly after. This is wonderful as the Ryu-ha I studied in did not hold the Wakizashi terribly high on the order of things to study, along with the Tonto. That was fine, but left a hole in my carricula which I wished to fill if only intellectually.

Many thanks again.

Yours in Budo,

Randall A. McGrew