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  1. Replies
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    Len – glad you like the blog. As far as enkyo...

    Len – glad you like the blog.

    As far as enkyo goes, I don't have any specific information on it (but you have piqued my interest, so I will keep my eyes open). It could just be a case of the...
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    Hi Cliff, Just time for a quick answer… it's...

    Hi Cliff,

    Just time for a quick answer… it's only anecdotal, but on several occasions I have had people talking about 'will' or 'mind' by pointing to or tapping their abdomen whereas western...
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    Hi Dan, I'm glad you found the reference...

    Hi Dan,

    I'm glad you found the reference interesting – I thought you might. It can be pretty difficult figuring out what some people were actually training in the 1600s (in this case), especially...
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    Excuse the long post, but the recent discussion...

    Excuse the long post, but the recent discussion touches on some quite interesting points regarding what fudoshin is or isn't.

    I haven't spent much time reading Takuan's writing (not for some...
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    That was an interesting post – I think there are...

    That was an interesting post – I think there are a whole range of things tied up in kata, (depending a lot on the art and the teacher). Techniques and strategies are part of it, as is the development...
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    Although Shingon, and esoteric Buddhism,...

    Although Shingon, and esoteric Buddhism, teaches/taught a variety of little known skills, I would be most surprised if there was ever a flourishing tradition of body skills closely related to what we...
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    We do have evidence that the term aiki was the...

    We do have evidence that the term aiki was the the subject of some contention in bugei during the early 19th century. Matsura Seizan (being the ex-daimyo of Hirado, he moved in fairly high-up...
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    If we are talking about Musashi and tanden,...

    If we are talking about Musashi and tanden, although he doesn't specifically use the term, he does refer quite specifically to body position, including the hip/lower abdomen/koshi area. Given the...
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    Thanks Ellis. What I meant to say was that I...

    Thanks Ellis.

    What I meant to say was that I have heard a couple of people talk about how they personally changed (or the person teaching them changed) the way they were taught in basic training...
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    There is indeed a twisting/drilling motion in the...

    There is indeed a twisting/drilling motion in the sojutsu I have seen.

    As far as bayonet use goes, I don't have any first hand experience, but I have a feeling that jukendo as it is practiced...
  11. Thread: Kotodama

    by Chris Hellman
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    I just remembered that, for anyone interested in...

    I just remembered that, for anyone interested in seeing someone using kuji, Otake Risuke (head of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto ryu) demonstrates it's use in the old BBC series, Way of the Warrior...
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    I have heard exactly the same thing, (70/30) and...

    I have heard exactly the same thing, (70/30) and in the context of using a spear, too.

    As I remember it, it was both to do with promoting body stability (awareness of returning to the original...
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    I wrote an entry on this in my blog some time ago...

    I wrote an entry on this in my blog some time ago which expands on Lowry's information. You might find it interesting. To be honest, the more I read of Yagyu source documents, the more I find they...
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    The Taisho period did see a number of interesting...

    The Taisho period did see a number of interesting compilations of older works on martial arts, such as Bujutsu Sosho (1915), which included some works that have subsequently become well-known eg...
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    In this case (i.e. what Jack was talking about)...

    In this case (i.e. what Jack was talking about) the distinction is particularly relevant because Chinese swordsmanship grips the sword with the thumb and first two fingers. This use of the grip is...
  16. Yes, you're right - this kind of kotoba asobi (if...

    Yes, you're right - this kind of kotoba asobi (if such it was) is only appropriate with an audience who knows what he is talking about. I meant that someone with no knowledge of Japanese would not be...
  17. I feel that Dr. Zhougari's style may owe...

    I feel that Dr. Zhougari's style may owe something to the tradition of the head of his martial arts organization who characteristically makes free and creative use of homophones in explaining his...
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    I guess it behoves us all to keep a close eye on...

    I guess it behoves us all to keep a close eye on this kind of thing - he might learn from his mistakes, and we may see a plausible Shinjuken-ryu entry in the future!!

    I guess a wikipedia entry is...
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    I checked Watatani again today, and there is...

    I checked Watatani again today, and there is definitely no sign of Shinjuken-ryu on any of those pages. (Actually, they deal mainly with Jigen-ryu).

    As for the other references, I don't know -...
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    Well, I spent some time checking Watatani's Bugei...

    Well, I spent some time checking Watatani's Bugei Ryuha Daijiten. No sign of Shinjuken-ryu as far as I could see. I wouldn't say my checking skills are infallible, but it certainly didn't jump off...
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    A quick check on the net (in Japanese) revealed...

    A quick check on the net (in Japanese) revealed nothing, which is not, in itself, proof of anything. I'll have a look at Watatani next time I get the chance and check out the reference.

    Chris...
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    You might try John Stevens' book about Yamaoka...

    You might try John Stevens' book about Yamaoka Tesshu. It's a good read, has nice pictures (calligraphy etc.) and some translated documents at the back.

    Chris Hellman
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    The individual schools do have the option of...

    The individual schools do have the option of requesting visitors not to video the procedings - I have seen that done at the Budokuden with no problems. I think most audiences would be sympathetic to...
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    Hi Philbert, I read about this duel in "Lives...

    Hi Philbert,

    I read about this duel in "Lives of the Master Swordsmen" by Makoto Sugawara, East Publications, Tokyo which was reprinted in 1999. Below is an abbreviated account based on the...
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