Hi Kit,
First of all: " I think I am already deeper than you have delved, so keep digging!" .
There is no doubt in my mind at all that you have learned far more than I have concerning these arts.
The "we" are trying to dig a little deeper does not stand for you and me but for the people who keep rummaging around about koryu. I guess I should have expressed myself more clearly.
I have been digging for some time will and you are one of the people who has been a great help to me because of your posts. So keep em coming, makes the diggingg easier.
"Do any ryu consider the specific movements of a kata the defining aspect of their ryu? "
Is it not so that kata are " chains of waza " and kata as a training- and teachingmethod came in use later on and were preceded by training single techniques (waza)?
I always thought kata to be the outcome so to speak of the defining aspects of a ryu.
"Think situationally rather than specific techniques. People seem to be really wrapped up in kata and technique. I was taught that kata and technique are simply vehicles for the application of the principles, strategies, and tactics of the system. Araki-ryu kata changed routinely when I was practicing them, and sometimes divergent physical techniques were still seen as applications of the kata: I saw that in another ryu as well, a sword school under a single soke system: kata changing, and indeed kata where once A and B were done, the "finish" could be one of several things "depending on how the enemy reacted." Not taught as "henka" but rather just a flexible approach to the basic kata. "
This is the same for the jujutsu I train and teach. Although there are basic forms of kata there are what I call different possibilities within these kata. A little bit further on in training these possibilies are dictated by (amongst others) the reaction of uke in that particular setting.
We train actually very few kata because these few are enough to cover most of the ground so to speak.
Kit,
I think most people are interested in techniques and kata because it is their main form of training for a long time. You have facilities and possibilities to train/work/experience these subject which are very different from the John's and Joe's who are let's say officeworkers and who train koryu once or twice a week. All things considered it is probably another universe you are in.
That could account for the difference in approach to these arts.
Happy landing,
Johan Smits