From a different angle

[Shiga]

Greetings fellow budoka,

I recently posted a message about the Jo styles in the Takamatsu-den arts and Shinto Muso Ryu--I got no responses so I'll try to hit the topic from a different angle.

What are some of the basic Kamae in Shinto Muso Ryu?
What are some of the basic strikes?
What type of etiquette is involved in the training?

I will hopefully get some responses this time!

One last question: Is there a Shinto Muso Ryu dojo in Houston Texas?
I have heard there is atleast one woman who teaches privately.

--Jesse Duran

[David Pitard]

Hi Jesse,

I'd hate for you to be stood up again.

I can answer your questions as best I can. I am sure others will correct me where appropriate. It sounds like you are looking for the names -- these are easy to give. How to actually do them is of course another story all together.

There are lots of kamae in SMR. Many of them are specific to a particular kata or set of kata. The basic kamae are:

tsune no kamae
honte no kamae
gyakute no kamae
hiki-otoshi no kamae

The basic strikes are:

honte uchie
gyakute uchi
hiki-otoshi uchi

You also asked about etiquette. I'm not sure what you are looking for here, but SMR is similar in that respect to any Japanese koryu. The details all basically boil to to being aware of and respectful to others and to the art.

I'll have to defer the Houston question to others -- I am not aware of a dojo in that area (Chuck?)

David Pitard

[Shiga]

Thanks for the response David,

I am actually interested in much more than just the names but I thought that might be a way to get things going.
I have studied a bit of Jo and Hanbo from the Kukishen Ryu through the Bujinkan.
I have heard some folks express the opinion that there are only so many ways to hit someone with a stick. Based on that opinion I was wondering how different the Jo work in SMR is from the Kukishin Ryu Jo.
The basic strikes I have learned are:
Men Uchi
Yoko Men Uchi
Do Uchi
Ashi Uchi
Ten To Uchi
Hani Agi Uchi
These are like: Head strike, side head strike, body strike, foot strike, top of head strike, riseing up strike.
(these are probably NOT perfect translations)

Are the SMR basic strikes at all similar?

It sounds like you study Jo David---I would enjoy discussing it some more with you. I have not learned much but I have a lot of fun with it.

Hope to talk to you again,
Jesse Duran

[Meik Skoss]

Probably any similarities between Shinto Muso-ryu and Kukishin(den)-ryu are due to ontogenetic development. If and when there was ever any cross-training between the two, that was on an individual basis. Certainly, the Muso-ryu has no evidence of having been influenced by other systems.

I've seen the main line(s) of Kukishin(sen)-ryu in Japan and they look nothing at all like Shinto Muso-ryu. That is not to say one is better and the other is worse, they're just different.

Re: the statement that there are only so many ways to use a particular weapon, I have to agree. The N is finite, but quite large. When one gets down to "flavor/feeling" it broadens the scope considerably. Even within a ryu it is quite often the case that peoples' individual "styles" are noticeably different. It makes it an interesting study.

Hope this helps.

[Chuck Clark]

I know of only one person in the Houston area who is training in Shinto Muso Ryu. There are no dojo in that area that teach SMR to my knowledge.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[Shiga]

Dear Mr.Skoss,
Thank you for the informed reply---it does help.
Since you have seen the "main line(s)" of Kukishin Ryu in Japan it would be great if you would explain what you consider to be the differences in movement.
Again thanks for the reply.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr.Clark,
You said you know of only one person in Houston doing SMR.
Do you know if this person is open to being contacted via e-mail or otherwise?
I have heard rumors (prettty reliable sources) that there is a woman teaching SMR on an individual basis. Perhaps this is the person you speak of.
Thanks

--Jesse Duran

[David Russell]

Karl Geis teaches SMR jodo in Houston, Texas.
His web site is www.karlgeis.com.

David Russell