Hokushin ryu

[jezah81]

Does anyone have any information about this school of swordsmanship? A friend of mine has invited me to train at his dojo, but i wanted to know more before i go to the dojo. What sword length requirements do they have...etc etc..

Any information will be highly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

[seskoad]

heh?? in sydney? are you talking about Hokushin Itto-ryu?can you check the legitimacy of the dojo? I've never heard that there is Hokushin Itto-ryu in sydney before.

About this school, you can check it at www.koryu.com.

The japanese website is http://www.dtpro.co.jp/genbukan/

[Richie112]

Perhaps you are talking about Hokushin Shinoh Ryu?

http://www.txc.net.au/~hokushin/index.htm

I only know what I have seen at this website.

[seskoad]

hokushin shinoh ryu is a gendai. But I've never heard this been practiced widely in Japan as claim in the website. Is there anyone who lives in Japan familiar about this ryu?

[Scott Irey]

I no longer live in Japan but during my time there in Nagoya in the 80's and 90's I knew several students of HSR and regularly saw them at Iaido events in the Chubu region. They seemed to have a very large following in the Chubu region (central Japan).;

[seskoad]

mr. scott irrey,

is there any pair training of MJER in Japan apart of waza translation (more like kenjutsu)?

[Jonathan Webber]

Please be extremely weary about any Hokkushin Shinoh Ryu schools outside of Japan, I met the soke when he was in australia last year and according to him there is only one school outside of japan in Brisbane, Australia that is currently recognised by them.

If anyone wishes to know more please contact me in private, I don't feel it's in my right to publicly discuss this matter

[Richie112]

Originally posted by seskoad
mr. scott irrey,

is there any pair training of MJER in Japan apart of waza translation (more like kenjutsu)?

There is, these are paired sets first practiced with bokuto and then using shinken.

Koden Tachi Uchi no Kurai (10 sets)

Tsume ai no Kurai (10 sets)

There is also Oe sensei's version of Tachi uchi no Kurai which has only 7 sets that were developed by him from the Koden set.

[Liam Cognet]

paired kata with shinken!? Has anyone here actually done this? Sounds dangerous.

[Charles Mahan]

I've seen video of folks who I believe were using shinken, although it's possible they were iaito or blunted in some way. Hard to tell for sure on video.

[Brian Owens]

paired kata with shinken!? Has anyone here actually done this? Sounds dangerous.
If you watch the video Budo: Art of Killing there is a sequence on the Shinkage Ryu where several of the masters do two- and even three-man forms with shinken. To demonstrate that they aren't using iaito, they first cut bamboo poles standing outside the "arena" and then immediately go into the kata. They go at full -- or at least nearly full -- speed, and some of the sets are fairly complicated.

To see them demonstrating is awe inspiring to say the least.

[fifthchamber]

A small point, but I am not sure that the Shinkage Ryu kata were the forms done by the guys with the Shinken in that film....I thought that they were the Kendo guys or the Iaido guys featured in the film. The forms demonstrated by them in that one scene are not forms I would associate with the Shinkage Ryu....But I don't train Shinkage Ryu and have only seen the stuff they show at Enbu...
The MJER and the MSR do practice forms that resemble Kenjutsu..Many using the Saya Bokuto or Shinken as has been mentioned..Great stuff to see...I missed the Asakusa Riverside Enbu this year as I had training but apparently the MSR or Eishin Ryu groups there demonstrated some more of the Kenjutsu like forms..I would have liked to have seen that....
Regards.

[Brian Owens]

A small point, but I am not sure that the Shinkage Ryu kata were the forms done by the guys with the Shinken in that film...The forms demonstrated by them in that one scene are not forms I would associate with the Shinkage Ryu...
It was Shinkage Ryu. But not neccessarily what you saw at an enbu.
(I believe what was shown in Budo was Hikida Shinkage Ryu.)

To quote the narrator (as best I can from memory; I'm at work now):

These are the basic patterns of the Shinkage School of Kendo. Great skill is required. As real swords are used, the slightest mistake means certain death.
A little dramatic, maybe, but I suspect that that's an English speaking narrator reading a translation from Japanese.

[Edit]Actually, upon reflection, there were two different scenes of shinken kata; one with two men in formal montsuki, and one with three men, one in all white keikogi. The first was the Shinkage Ryu exhibition. The second was not named. HTH.

[fifthchamber]

Hi Brian,
Yep..Thats the scene I remember..The first one is claimed as Shinkage Ryu and the others aren't named but the same faces are featured later in the film doing Kendo and Iaido of some sort..Unamed I believe...
Hikida Shinkage Ryu? Hmmm...Okay...I have no idea...I don't do it...How did you find out that it was Hikida Shinkage Ryu?
Regards.

[Brian Owens]

Hi Brian,

How did you find out that it was Hikida Shinkage Ryu?
I don't know for sure. I believe it is. I can't recall if my sensei told me when we were watching the film, or if I read it somewhere; it was a long time ago.

I just did a Web search on the name of the man in the film, Toyoshima Kazutora Soke, but all I get are references back to the film and a reference to an August 2000 demonstration that only says "Shinkage Ryu."

Sorry I can't be more specific. If I'm wrong, hopefully someone will come on soon and correct me.