We warmed up with 半棒術 hanbōjutsu kihon. First we did 片手振り katate furi against a strike. And then we used 八文字振りhachimonji furi to transition into gyaku waza.
I began class with 一文字 ichimonji. Hatsumi Sensei has also called this kata 沈投 chintō, This makes sense because sinking as you enter is one of the main features of this mutō dori.
Hatsumi sensei said 沈む shizumu as he entered. You sink under the cut. This evasion is intimidating for many and feels dangerous. It is. But this is a moment of mutō dori and you must be willing to have an attitude of sutemi.
Then the strike is pure sanshin. It is the sanshin that transitions from high to low. The kamae is critical during this transition. Then you drive through the target in a perpendicular angle.
During one very hot class at the end of August, Hatsumi Sensei told us, “Strike right through their body. Don’t just strike on the surface. Like making a jumonji between your fist and their spine. Like your arm goes straight through. That’s the kind of punch you should be doing.”
I shared with my students how to use the lead hand in this sanshin movement to control the space. You capture the middle, inside, and outside with your kamae. Then you may alter the kukan so the target for the strike is clear. Soke usually does this with just the fingers.
I ended class with an advanced principle of mutō dori that frustrates Bujinkan people of even the highest rank. Hatsumi Sensei tells us to cause the opponent to 空打ち karauchi, or strike emptiness. This sounds obvious because you don’t want to be hit. But it is different than evading. You must get him to cut the air.
How do you make the attacker want to cut the air? Soke told us, “Make him think that he’s cut you. If you can understand this, then you can understand mutō dori. The essence of mutō dori is not just taking the sword. You can’t cling to the idea of you or yourself. Throw away the idea of yourself, or it’s just going to be an obstacle. You have to see yourself and your opponent and make both nothing.”
If you make yourself, the opponent, and his sword empty then he will strike nothing. In trying to cut he actually will be cutting nothing. When I did this in class, one student described it like I split in two and he cut my mirage. Another said it felt like I passed through him. These descriptions sound weird, but if you’ve ever trained in Japan, you’ve heard similar descriptions from Soke’s attackers.
Of Note: Leaping bicycles
Although to a non practitioner it does sound weird, but i can 100% vouch that many moments like this happen during training. The times i have been uke and my partner has 'dissapeared' , it really is a mental mind throw trying to understand how they dissapear, until they re appear holding my wrist and arm with a foot in my face. Awsome, thanks for sharing.