Concepts Part 2
9. 三殺法 (SanSaPpou) – The Three Methods of Suppression
In Jukendo and Tankendo, the concept of the “Three Methods of Suppression” involves restraining your opponent’s “weapon”, “technique”, and “spirit.”
(1) Restraining the weapon
By doing the opponent’s weapon by pressing it to the left or right, or striking it away, you take away the free movement of the opponent’s weapon.
(2) Restraining the Technique
This involves taking the initiative and relentlessly attacking, giving your opponent no opportunity to use their techniques. This forces the opponent into a defensive position, where they are overwhelmed by your offensive pressure, their spirit is crushed, and their posture is disrupted.
(3) Restraining the Spirit
This involves constantly filling your body with energy and pressing your opponent with a mindset of taking the initiative. By skillfully maintaining your distance, intimidating your opponent, and causing psychological distress, you can suppress their spirit.
For Jukendo, in the Hōzōin-ryū spear art it is said: ‘In the “土眼(DoGan)” (中段(ChuDan)), focus your mind and watch for the ”月(moon)” (thrust), and be prepared to defend from a bifurcated rivers (thrusts from “表 (inside)” and “裏 (outside)”).’ This teaches how to counter an opponent’s attacks.”.
10. 懸待一致 (Ken Tai Icchi) – Unity of Attack and Defense
“Unity of Attack and Defense” means that even while attacking, one must remain cautious and vigilant of the opponent’s moves, and while defending, one must maintain an aggressive attitude, ready to seize any opportunity to counterattack. This concept is also called “Attack within Defense” (懸中待(KenChuTai)) and “Defense within Attack” (待中懸(TaiChuKen)). The key to achieving victory lies in being aggressive, always ready to take advantage of offensive opportunities even while in a defensive stance.
For Tankendo, in the context of using a Kodachi, it is said: “Let the hands be in a defensive stance, the feet in an offensive stance, without any slackness, embodying the spirit of a waterfowl in motion.”
For Jukendo, in spear art, it is said: “The hands should be patient, the feet should be active and unwavering, like the mind of a flowing water bird gliding across the water”.
11. 勘 (Kan) – Intuition
Identifying the moment of opportunity, the crucial timing to strike or hit, is conceivable. However, seizing that fleeting opportunity in actual combat is challenging. Amidst the ever-changing dynamics of a match, often the chance to strike or attack passes by before one can act upon it. It’s said that “lightning disappears in an instant after the thunder,” and “a spark ignites the moment the flint strikes.” Changes occur in the blink of an eye. In a match, the moment you recognize an opening and attempt to execute a technique, that opening may have already vanished. Therefore, it’s essential to instinctively launch a technique the instant you spot an opportunity; otherwise, victory cannot be achieved. Success hinges on executing a strike precisely at the “n” of “now.” This is what is known as the “intuitive sense of winning,” honed through years of training. Intuitive sense is cultivated through daily practice, accumulating sensory awareness that manifests as instinctive timing.
To cultivate intuition, it’s crucial not only to refine one’s own techniques but also to develop the ability to perceive the opponent’s strategies, habits, thoughts, and mental states—a skill akin to mind-reading.
12. 合気 (Aiki) – Adjusting Aiki
In Jukendo and Tankendo, “adjusting aiki” means that if the opponent attacks strongly and aggressively, you should lightly and softly deflect it. Conversely, if the opponent approaches weakly and softly, you should decisively and vigorously launch attacks. The key is to always surprise the opponent, evade their sharpness, and thereby excel in matches and battles. Essentially, if two stones clash or two cottons collide, it results in in tie without deciding victory or defeat.
13. 虚実 (Kyojitsu) – Truth and Falsehood
The essence of competition lies in achieving victory easily and adopting the most effective methods with minimal effort. It involves exploiting falsehoods while avoiding truths, using falsehoods to lure and truths to strike.
“Truth” refers to a state where mental and emotional energies are fully engaged without negligence, and concentration is keen. On the other hand, “falsehood” refers to the opposite—when there are vulnerabilities in the mind and body.
Where there is truth, there is always falsehood, and where there are strengths, there are inevitably weaknesses. It is ideal, like the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, to have no blind spots, but achieving this is difficult. When attacking the opponent’s strengths, more strength is required, but when attacking their weaknesses, one can achieve control with half the effort.
Exploiting the opponent’s falsehoods and attacking where they are most vulnerable is the strategy of kyojitsu (truth and falsehood). Relying on excessive effort to match strength against strength is an ineffective approach.
★ In the principles of swordsmanship, it is said, “Urami is the hidden battle of Shikimi, understand this well and close the gaps.” (Urami refers to the hidden aspect behind the correct posture, and Shikimi refers to the Seigan posture.)
14. 隙についてｰ Regarding Suki (Openings)
Regardless of the situation, if there is an opening, one can be taken advantage of, so it is important to study how not to create openings. There are three types of openings: “mind,” “posture,” and “movement.”
(1) Suki in the Mind
The mind is the source of action. If there is any lapse in the mind, concentration dulls, and emptiness arises within the mind, creating an opening. Unless one maintains a state where attention flows freely from the soles of the feet to the tip of the head, keeping one’s mood full and attention fluid, distractions can lead to creating openings by focusing too much on one point or overthinking unnecessary matters.
(2) Suki in Posture
Posture is akin to a castle. A perfect posture is advantageous against opponents like an impregnable fortress. By fixing the weapon’s tip at the opponent’s center, maintaining a solid stance, and fully guarding key areas, one can achieve a “natural stance of advance and retreat” that makes it difficult for the opponent to strike easily. However, posture must always be integrated with the mindset.
(3) Suki in Movement
Openings in movement occur at the initiation of every action, where signs of preparation and movement occur. During movement, attention tends to fluctuate. These states create openings. To avoid these openings, one needs the readiness of “sen” (initiative) and the “zanshin” (remaining mind). Aimlessly executing techniques can expose vulnerabilities in initiating attacks or leaving oneself open after an attack, making it crucial to study the speed of reaction without creating openings between movements, the method of taking ma-ai (distance), and understanding movements that are not easily anticipated.
15. 心、気、力の一致 ｰ Unity of Mind, Spirit, and Strength
The terms “心気力 (mind, spirit, and strength)”, “気剣体 (spirit, sword, and body)”, or “心眼足(mind, eyes, and feet)” are all synonymous in content.
(1) Mind: The aspect that perceives, judges, and reasons, representing the static domain of the mind.
(2) Spirit: The will, which initiates activity based on the mind’s judgment, representing the dynamic domain of the mind.
(3) Strength: The physical capabilities of the body, encompassing the ability to hold a weapon, the force of striking, body movements, and leg strength.
It is crucial to practice so that these three elements work in perfect combination instantaneously.
16. 攻め方 ｰ Methods of Pressuring
When pressuring an opponent, you can put pressure on with the tip of the weapon or with your spirit. In both cases, the body must always coordinate the movements of the sword tip and the spirit simultaneously. Therefore, it is important to always maintain and not lose your posture. Even when pressuring with the weapon tip, it is not enough to pressure in form only; it must be accompanied by spirit. In short, a pressuring must be an action where spirit, weapon, and body are united to create a sense of intimidation.
For Jukendo, As a basic strategy for attacking, ‘Attack high and thrust low,’ ‘Attack low and thrust high,’ ‘Attack left and thrust right,’ and ‘Attack right and thrust left’. However, when both sides are aware of these strategies during a match, they will begin to anticipate and prepare for the expected attacks. For example, if you attack high, your opponent will expect you to strike low. As a result, techniques that involve attacking high and continuing to attack high will be developed to catch the opponent off guard. By constantly analyzing and adapting to the opponent’s mindset and movements, and by studying various attacking patterns, one can generate an endless variety of attacking strategies.