Kenjutsu target???

[seskoad]

Oke, I am doing MJER iaido. In iaido, the cut mostly horizontal cut targeting the chest and finish the killing by doing vertical cut which means that target the head. What I saw from internet, in kenjutsu, when they do kumitachi (sparring (??)), the technique targets to the hand. Is it true or just my assumption??

[chrismoses]

1) there is no 'they' in Kenjutsu, each ryuha is distinct.

2) It's very difficult to say exactly what is really being targeted by watching kumitachi of a ryuha that you are unfamiliar with. Generally kata are done at the 'wrong' maai in order to facilitate training. In the true meaning of the kata, targets other than what seem to be being practiced are emphasized.

Hope that helps.

[pgsmith]

Hello Umar,
You are thinking too much! The problem you are encountering is a very common one that most people go through. You get to a point in your training where you are no longer having to focus so hard on the kata movements, and you begin wondering about their nature. All kata have bunkai. You are told "See your opponent here, and you are cutting here!" This is how you should perform the kata, but it isn't exactly what the kata are for.

Kata, whether it is solo or paired, or called kata or kumitachi, are to teach the student how to manipulate the sword and how to properly move among other things. They are NOT to teach attacks and counter attacks, at least not directly. There are way too many factors involved in any fight to make that practical. So bear in mind that when you practice them, or when you watch them, you don't really know what the underlying principle that this particular kata or kumitachi is trying to convey. I have heard many times "but no one would actually do that in a fight!" This is
very true, but they are not trying to "simulate a fight". Their purpose is to teach principles.

What does all of this rambling mean to your original question? Well, it is expanding a bit on Mr. Moses' answer. Just because you have seen a kata that targets the wrists, don't assume that they all do. Don't even assume that targeting is what that particular kata (or kumitachi) is trying to teach. For that matter, don't assume that the targets you are envisioning in your own style's kata are what the kata are teaching. Kata are merely tools that are used to pass fundamental principles on to our bodies.

(Sorry, I seem to be in a rambling mood today! :))

Cheers,