Shakujo, Dokko, and Nyoi

[dan_norris]

Gassho,

Hello. I've really been enjoying my study of Shorinji Kempo. I was wondering at what level are kenshi instructed on the use of the Shakujo, Dokko, and Nyoi? I think that it would be really fun to learn how to use them.

[johan_frendin]

Gassho

I've practiced Shorinji since 1984 and never been taught these kind of techniques. At the moment the are not in any curriculum but something is going on at Hombu. I think that Kawashima sensei working on a curriculum for the shakujo and nyoi.
If this is true I think this is the best thing that happened in many years in shorinji Kempo.

Johan Frendin

[dan_norris]

Thanks for your reply Johan Frendin. I became interested about this during a demonstration that my dojo did during the Japanese cherry blossom festival here in Seattle. One of my fellow Kenshi demonstrated the use of the Shakujo and I was very impressed. Although I know that the Shakujo, Dokko, and Nyoi all are in the roots of Shorinji Kempo, I've never seen them practiced in the dojo. I think my friend must have learned the techniques at the headquarters in Shikoku. I also agree that it would be alot of fun to learn these but I guess I've got to train more and travel to Hombu in order to get training. Thanks again for your reply Johan! I enjoy being able to communicate with other kenshi from different schools.

[Steve Williams]

To the best of my knowledge there is no formal instruction in them at any grade.


As Johan said, I have also been informed that a curriculum is being written by Kawashima sensei, we all look forward to that.


Most of the high grade sensei do know "some" shakujo and nyoi technique/ forms, but will only show you if you ask them (and be prepared to ask them on many many occasions).




BTW Myself and Paul Browne did perform a Nyoi, Shakujo embu at a martial aid here in the UK, a long time ago, Tony may remember......

[dan_norris]

Gassho
Thank you for your post Steve. I'm starting to get a better understanding of this part of Shorinji Kempo. Where you taught the techniques that you learned in Japan or at your dojo in the U.K.? Also, I just wanted to say that this is a real pleasure to be able to talk with other Shorinji Kempo members through this site. I appreciate everyone's posts.

[John McCollum]

Hi all,

There seems to be people here who have some experience in using shakujo and nyoi, but what about dokko? Anyone ever used one?

Anyone ever seen one being used?

[Onno]

Gassho __||__

Hello All

I have just started to train using the Shakujo here in Calgary. You need to be lucky enough to have a Sensei that knows Shakujo in order to learn it. I guess I am lucky. My sensei does not teach many people, only those that ask and are keenly interested does he consider it. Usually about 2nd or 3rd dan is about the average for beginning the Shakujo. I have seen one or two people also using the niyo.

I'll be in Hombu this fall, so I hope to pick up some more tips while I'm there.

Kesshu

Onno Kok
Alberta Shibu
Calgary, Canada

[slait]

Hi!

I have neither ever seen dokko in use, but as it seems quite similar like kubotan and yawara-stick, there may be common ways to apply it.

You can find some information about these sticks with the following links:
http://www.yawara.com/Yawast1.html
http://www.saunders999.fsnet.co.uk/k...ages/index.htm

It would be nice to know how to use dokko "officially" in Shorinji Kempo.

Santeri Laitinen
Jyväskylä branch, Finland

[Robert Liljeblad]

Gassho all,

Do you know if other arts are using the Shakujo and Nyoi ? Where did Kaiso pick up these techniques?

Best Regards,

[tony leith]

Firstly, I'm in the have no clue but would dearly like to learn camp re. the weapons techniques. I once came across an article in a martial arts encyclopedia which argued against Kempo have true Chinese antecedents on the grounds that it doesn't incorporate weapons techniques in the syllabus, and therefore presumably Doshin So didn't know any (patently untrue). Mizuno Sensei once read us an article by Oueda Sensei in which he statred that Kaiso taught him the shakujo techniques because his disability (he lost one arm to an unexploded munition) and the possibility that he might need them for self defence. The inference from this is that not even Kaiso's first generation of students were routinely taught these techniques.

This article did have good quality photographs of Oueda Sensei and Kawashima Sensei performing shakujo defences, and in Glasgow weincorporated a shakujo (albeit they were just big sticks) pair form kata based on tenchiken dai nikkei into an outdoor demo a couple of years ago, which was fun to do and a crowd pleaser. There is of course no substitute for instruction, and even though there are people in our club who have extensive experience of using different sorts of weapons it'd be good to be taught the authentic Shorinji kempo forms by somebody who knows what they're doing. Unfortunately the people who do seem to be reluctant to teach them, doubtless for good reasons..

Tony leith

[jonboy]

Hi all,

I'd just like to ask - what are Dokko and Nyoi?

Also do any of the british kenshi remeber the Hyde Park demo in 2001? One of the Honbu demonstration team performed a single form kata/enbu type thing in which he had his hand in a non traditional fist (actually it was nothing like a fist as I seem to remember him pointing at least one fingure out straight). I was told by a senior instructor that this was because he was doing some kind of form that involved a weapon, but just didn't actually have the weapon in hand.

I feel I didn't explain that very well, but any ideas?

jon

[tony leith]

If I remember there are pictures of all three weapons in the Fukodukohon. The nyoi is a short staff, from the look of it on videos/photos maybe about forearm length,the dokko a shorter stck which protrudes slightly either side of a closed fist - I believe ostensibly an implement used by monks in reading texts (this sounds about as plausible as the claim that the shakujo is purely and simply a walking stick - it's two metres long with studded metal rings on the end, and in the very impressive massed ranks of branch masters performing shakujo embu sequence on the 40th anniversary video, is handled very much like a spear).

I don't know that much about Japanese weapons forms, but can imagine a number of kempo techniques which might incorporate the dokko (han tenshin geri, yoko tenshin geri, harai uke dan zuki). There are even some kempo techniques that might have been derived from weapons defences - one Glasgow kenshi suggested this as a possible explanation for soto uke dan zuki, which suddenly becomes a lot more explicable if you imagine that you're holding a side handled baton.

Tony leith

[jonboy]

Cheers Tony,

I'll take a look in my Fukudokuhon later.

[hsuntzu]

Jon, what you saw may have been the "dokko-ken," a simple single form involving the use of the dokko. I'm guessing this because, during the Paris Takai, in the Hombu Demonstration team part, the "dokko-ken" form was shown.

Gassho,

[jonboy]

I think that has to be right, because it was the same demo team (they did that event in Hyde park just before Paris). Having looked in the fukudokuhon at the dokko it all seems to fit in.

Thanks for the answers.