Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)

Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan: Part 6

Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
Copyright !!"# $y Antony Cundy.
This article appeared in the %aga&ine Kendo World# 'olu%e # (u%$er
The a$ility to )uic*ly %o+e a ,eapon fro% a neutral state into an aggressi+e or defense
%o+e%ent has al,ays $een of great interest to the ,arrior- Correspondingly# the arts of the
fast dra,# +ariously called Iai.utsu or /atto.utsu# ha+e held an i%portant place in the
curriculu%s of the co%prehensi+e classical %artial traditions of Japan-
The tradition that ,e focus on this ti%e o,es %uch of its fa%e and notoriety to the ,hi% of an
author of cartoon scripts# ,hich ha+e $eco%e fa%ous the ,orld o+er as the 01one Wolf and
Cu$2 series- 3nd yet the actual tradition is a realistic# practical and refined syste% of co%$at
for on and off the $attlefield that holds at its core the practice of iai.utsu-
Origins
Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo# the tradition2s for%al title# ,as founded $y 4i%a 5oichi&ae%on
Kageno$u (6"778666") in around 666"- 5oichi&ae%on ,as $orn in the 9e,a fiefdo% to
4i%a Saigu a priest at the Junisha :ongen Shrine- Sadly# the actual sight of the shrine and
the gra+e of the founder are no longer +erifia$le as they ,ere $oth destroyed $y landslide in
the 6;th century-
3s a child 5oichi&ae%on studied the s,ords%anship of the /o*uden Ryu# founded $y
Tsu*uhara /o*uden# as ,ell as a for% of .o.utsu practiced $y 5a%a$ushi# %ountain ,arrior
priests# called Kongo Jo Joho-
It ,as in the Spring of 5oichi&ae%on2s 6;th year that he ,as to encounter a ne, and startling
art# ,hen his father2s friend Sa*urai :oroe%on (ao%itsu ca%e to +isit the fa%ily- /eing
reno,ned in the local area for his %artial s*ills 5oichi&ae%on as*ed (ao%itsu for a friendly
duel# ,hich ,ould $e presided o+er $y the for%er2s father# a challenge (ao%itsu happily
accepted-
3t the appointed ti%e 5oichi&ae%on faced his opponent in a chudan posture and (ao%itsu in
his ya%a$ushi li*e attire# strangely ,ith his s,ord thrust through his $elt# placed his hand on
the s,ord2s tsu*a- /oth co%petitors then ad+anced to the critical distance- 5oichi&ae%on#
feeling suppressed $y his opponents poise and unusual ,ay of carrying the s,ord retreated
one step to assu%e a .odan *a%ae- /ut# in that +ery %o%ent (ao%itsu loosed his $lade
sending it flying under 5oichi&ae%on2s guard and stopping it sharply in front of his face-
0That2s enough#2 called 4i%a Saigu and the encounter ,as o+er- It ,as an e<hi$ition of iai.utsu
that ,ould change 5oichi&ae%on2s life-
6 de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
(ao%itsu ,as actually a student of the iai inno+ator and founder of the =ayashi&a*i Ryu#
=ayashi&a*i Jinsu*e Shigeno$u (6"">866!?) and re%ained ,ith the 4i%a fa%ily for the ne<t
@ %onths in order to i%part the outline of =ayashi&a*i2s teachings to the eager young
5oichi&ae%on- =a+ing gained a degree of understanding of the art fro% (ao%itsu#
5oichi&ae%on +o,ed to de+elop his o,n syste% of iai $y searching the deepest le+els of this
%artial discipline- It is said that he spent his days dra,ing against a tree in the precincts of
the shrine and in the e+enings *nelt $efore an altar and prayed for guidance fro% the deities-
To ad+ance his studies further 5oichi&ae%on ,ent on his first 4usha Shugyo a tra+eling for%
of trial $y co%$at in ,hich ,arriors ,ould +oyage to different areas to test their %artial s*ills
against those of other traditions- =e tra+eled to such places as A%ine# Toga*ure# Anta*e#
Katsuragi and Tateya%a- It ,as during this e<cursion that he %et Sohei# ,arrior %on*s fro%
4t- =iei ,ho ,ere fleeing the ,rath of Ada (o$unaga# fro% ,ho% 5oichi&ae%on learnt a
syste% of $attlefield naginata-
T,enty years had past since 5oichi&ae%on had s,orn his oath to create a ne, syste% of iai#
years in ,hich he had polished hi%self $y day and $y night- It ,as in the %iddle of that
t,entieth night that 5oichi&ae%on gained enlighten%ent ,hen# ,hile *neeling in front of a
shrine2s altar# he had a +ision of a sphere in ,hich ,ere the for%s of ,hite gulls floating
,ithout conscious thought on ,ater- =e ran out into the shrine2s garden and gra$$ed a $o*uto
,hich he no, found he could ,ield in any direction ,ithout fear or conscious thought-
/ased on his +ision 5oichi&ae%on created the traditions 6? core techni)ues# a figure ta*en
fro% the ; areas of hea+en surrounded $y @6 $irds of earth represented in a %andala that
5oichi&ae%on dre, i%%ediately after his re+elation- =e na%ed his tradition Suio Ryu Iai
Kenpo# Suio utili&ing the characters for ,ater and gull# and placed ,ithin its teachings the arts
of Iai# Kenpo (an alternate na%e for *en.utsu)# (aginata# Koguso*u (a for% of grappling) and
.o.utsu-
B+en after achie+ing enlighten%ent and founding his o,n syste% 5oichi&ae%on continued to
tra+el to test $oth his faith in the gods and his s,ord ar%- It is $elie+ed though that this ,as
not a +oyage to gain +ictories and con)uests# rather a test of his a$ility to achie+e a state of
selflessness- 5oichi&ae%on sa, the practice of s,ords%anship as a for% of a$lution to the
gods and his o,n $ody as a +ehicle to achie+ing a har%oni&ation ,ith the deities-
When he faced an opponent 5oichi&ae%on ,ould ne+er atte%pt to ,in $y tric*ery or fancy
techni)ues# rather he al,ays ai%ed to perfor% aiuchi (lit: %utual stri*e)# ,hich ,ould force his
opponents to retire or face certain death-
5oichi&ae%on stated that
CAur s,ords%anship co%es fro% the %ountain ascetics- The essence of our tradition# and the
attain%ent of an unassaila$le position# co%es fro% cutting do,n our opponents ,hile the
s,ord is still in the sca$$ard# stifling our opponent2s actions and achie+ing +ictory through not
de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
dra,ing the s,ord- While engaged in co%$at# detach yourself fro% all thoughts of ,inning or
losing# achie+e a pure and unfettered %ind and attain unification ,ith the gods-D
5oichi&ae%on used his spacious do.o to teach not only %artial techni)ues $ut also taught of
the uni+erse through a =ea+en and Barth 4andala that he had hung on its ,all- 3t the age of
67 he retired fro% acti+e teaching# passing responsi$ility to his son and heir 5ohachiro# li+ing
out another t,enty years $efore peacefully passing a,ay at the age of ;7-
'ery little has $een ,ritten of the Suio Ryu in literature# ho,e+er there is one story that is often
referred to regarding the founder- In the $oo* entitled 0:e*i*en Sodan2 pu$lished in 6;?@ the
follo,ing story is told-
0Ero% the Bastern pro+inces the s,ords%an 4i%a ca%e to Tsuya%a in 4isa no Kuni and
gathered students there to teach iai- 3t this ti%e a ri+al teacher called 3sada Kuro$ei ,as
already teaching in the area and a %atch ,as soon arranged $et,een the t,o- Ane of
3sada2s students as*ed of hi% 0=o, are you going to $eat (4i%a2s) IaiF2 To ,hich 3sada
replied that to $eat an iai e<ponent one %ust attac* the %an and not allo, hi% to dra,-
=earing of 3sada2s reply Kageno$u reali&ed his great s*ill and ,ith only those ,ords as his
e+idence reali&ed the futility of a %atch and retired fro% the Tsuya%a area2-
In all the records of the Suio Ryu# including those co+ering the periods of 5oichi&ae%on2s
tra+els# there is no %ention of his $eing in Tsuya%a or of any proposed %atch ,ith 3sada-
=o,e+er it is ad%itted that 3sada2s ,ords stri*e right to the heart of iai and the story is often
)uoted $y %e%$ers of the tradition as proof of the founder2s e<istence-
Succeeding 5oichi&ae%on# his son 5ohachiro Kagenaga added a further 6! techni)ues to
the tradition ,hich to this day represent the Shoden# or initiate le+el of techni)ue- These are a
set of " 5o# aggressi+eGpositi+e techni)ues# and " In# passi+eGrecei+ing techni)ues- 5ohachiro
$elie+ed that the techni)ues his father had created ,ere too ad+anced for a $eginner to
co%prehend and so added these ten techni)ues so that those less fa%iliar ,ith
s,ords%anship could de+elop their $asic s*ills $efore atte%pting the %ore ad+anced central
techni)ues-
The tradition passed do,n in relati+e o$scurity until the ti%e of the >th So*e# Eu*uhara
Shin&ae%on Kagenori- Shin&ae%on ,as $oth a student of the ;th So*e of the Suio Ryu#
5oshino 5aichiro Sadatoshi# as ,ell as a student of 5oshida Shigesae%on Sadatoshi# in turn
a senior student of 4asa*i Taro 9ayu Toshi%itsu the founder of a syste% of %anri*igusari (a
chain ,ith ,eights attached at $oth ends) called the 4asa*i Ryu-
Shin&ae%on too* ,hat he had $een taught of the 4asa*i Ryu ,eight and chain techni)ues
and added a *a%a# or sic*le# into the e)uation- =e na%ed his syste% 4asa*i Ryu
Kusariga%a.utsu and the syste% has $een taught in con.unction ,ith the Suio Ryu to this day#
,here it is %ore correctly referred to as 4asa*i Ryu Eu*uhara =a Kusariga%a.utsu- The
syste% itself contains 6; separate *ata designed to $e practiced on $oth sides of the $ody#
i-e- alternating the chain s,inging and sic*le ,ielding hands- The shape of the sic*le used in
@ de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
the syste% is uni)ue in that it is shaped so that it is a$le to cut ,hether $eing pushed# pulled
or used to stri*e-
The Suio Ryu ,as introduced into the Katsuse fa%ily $y the 6@th So*e 4i&u%a =an$ei
Kagetsugu- =an$ei ,as staying at an inn in =a%a%atsu City# Shi&uo*a Prefecture# ,hich ,as
$eing run $y the Katsuse fa%ily ,hen the young Katsuse 4itsuyasu caught his eye and he
re%ar*ed to 4itsuyasu2s father that his son had great potential as a %artial artist- =an$ei
spent his entire e<tended stay teaching 4itsuyasu the techni)ues of the tradition until he finally
passed o+er the seals and scrolls of the tradition in 6>@!# recogni&ing Katsuse 4itsuyasu as
the 6?th So*e of the Suio Ryu-
=a+ing %o+ed to To*yo to further his *endo training# 4itsuyasu en.oyed a strong relationship
,ith (a*aya%a =a*udo# often referred to as 0Sho,a no Kensei2 (lit: 9i+ine S,ords%an of the
Sho,a Bra) ,ho pro+ided the na%e and calligraphy for the do.o that 4itsuyasu created and
,hich still acts as the head)uarters of the Suio Ryu# the =e*iun*an (lit: =all of the /lue Cloud)-
=e also# interestingly# presented 4itsuyasu ,ith a 4en*yo license in Kendo- 3t his passing at
the age of ;; in 6>># Katsuse 4itsuyasu Kage%asa held the ;th 9an =anshi license in
*endo and iaido# as ,ell as a 7th 9an Kyoshi license in .odo-
The teachings of the Suio Ryu and its con.uncti+e syste%s ha+e $een passed do,n to the
present day ,here the instruction and pro%ulgation of its arts is o+erseen $y the 6"th So*e
Katsuse 5oshi%itsu Kagehiro- =e is also recogni&ed as the 6th So*e of the 4asa*i Ryu
Eu*uhara =a-
Curriculum
The Suio Ryu has a daunting range and nu%$er of techni)ues in its curriculu%# the techni)ues
of ,hich illustrate ti%e and again the re%ar*a$le unification of its principles and %o+e%ents
across ,eapon types-
In the iai portion of the curriculu% there are 6! techni)ues at the initiate le+el de+eloped $y the
nd So*e 4i%a 5ohachiro- > *ata in the Tachiiai (lit: standing iai) and > techni)ues in the
Kuyo *ata# a series of for%s that see the practitioner perfor% their techni)ues fro% sei&a-
There are in addition a series of 6; Kage techni)ues# ,hich ,ere for%erly taught only to the
successor of the tradition $ut ha+e recently $een %ade a+aila$le to all practitioners- These
techni)ues offer counters and pro$le% sol+ing ans,ers to the nu%erous +aria$les that can $e
found in the practice of the Kuyo and Tachiai *ata- Eurther# there are a series of passi+e and
aggressi+e techni)ues outside of the %ain curriculu% called the 5a%i series and further a set
of > *u%i iai (lit: paired iai) *ata ,ith a corresponding > *age +ariations- There is also a set of
techni)ues that are only taught to the successor of the tradition ,hich are supposed to
represent the +ery essence of the Suio Ryu2s teachings-
? de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
In addition to this central iai portion of the syste% there are > techni)ues of Koguso*u#
(grappling perfor%ed fro% standing)# 6 Wa*i&ashi techni)ues perfor%ed fro% sei&a# 6;
Kenpo *ata# 66 A%ote and Hra .o +ersus *en for%s and a further 6! A*u *ata# as ,ell as a
set of 6 highly ad+anced .o techni)ues called 4uso :aeshi- There are also @ tanto8dori (lit:
*nife ta*ing) *ata# " tan.o (short staff) *ata and 6! .o +ersus .o *ata# > A%ote and Hra
naginata +ersus s,ord *ata# > A%ote and Hra naginata +ersus naginata *ata and a series of
@ re%ar*a$le solo naginata se)uences referred to as the 5asen A*u$i Kata# enco%passing
techni)ues designed to unhorse opposing ca+alry-
The first techni)ues of the Suio Ryu tradition that are taught fro% the founder2s original
curriculu% are the o%ote and ura techni)ues called Tatsuna%i# fro% the series of nine *ata
called the Kuyo- Tatsuna%i refers to a tidal ,a+e that literally rises up $efore crashing do,n
on the shore and this i%age is ,ell represented in the %o+e%ents of the *ata- In fact %any of
the na%es of the tradition2s iai *ata %a*e reference to different types of ,a+es gi+ing clues to
the %anner of their perfor%ance- There are also so%e for%s ,hose precise e<planations for
perfor%ance are reser+ed for only the %ost senior of students and are trans%itted in poe%
for%-
In the o%ote +ersion of Tatsuna%i the shidachi sits ,ith their s,ord placed $y their left side#
$lade facing in and ,ith the tsu$a in line ,ith the *nees- The uchidachi is seated at the
opti%u% range for $oth sides# i-e- a distance that %eans that one side is unreacha$le for any
stri*e that is %ade fro% one party only# $ut that is the opti%u% range ,hen $oth parties are
%o+ing for,ard-
Hnli*e so%e syste%s the Suio Ryu teaches that all techni)ues that are perfor%ed fro% sei&a#
apart fro% the Tatsuna%i techni)ues# are purely for the de+elop%ent of the practitioner2s
carriage and cutting a$ility- It is felt that there ,ould $e no situation in ,hich the ,arriors of the
past ,ould sit opposite each other in sei&a ,ith their long s,ords thrust through their $elts-
Practice of techni)ues is %ade fro% sei&a precisely $ecause of its difficulty- It is $elie+ed that
if you are a$le to dra, fro% this 0dead2 position then you ,ill certainly $e a$le to dra, fro%
any other posture-
In perfor%ance the shidachi senses the opponent2s aggressi+e intentions and gra$s their
s,ord# cha%$ering it in front of the% and# using the end of the tsu*a# stri*es for,ard# ai%ing
to hit the opponent in the %iddle of the face- The uchidachi duc*s $ac* out of the ,ay and
)uic*ly counter attac*s $y s,eeping their right ar% across their $ody to gra$ for the offending
handle- Seeing his first attac* has $een foiled the shidachi pulls $ac* his front foot and the
s,ord to lea+e hi%self raised on $oth *nees ,ith the s,ord# still shea+ed# across their $ody#
$ut no, ,ith their right hand in place on the handle- =a+ing %issed their gra$ atte%pt# the
uchidachi dra,s their o,n $lade in a single8handed cut that ai%s to stri*e to the top of
shidachi2s head- The shidachi# ,ho has $een ,aiting for the opponent to initiate a counter#
sei&es the opportunity to .u%p for,ard into an upright crouch and si%ultaneously dra,s their
$lade at a rising angle fro% $eneath the opponents ar%# seriously da%aging their stri*ing
li%$-
" de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
=a+ing finished the encounter the shidachi raises the s,ord o+erhead in a single8handed
.odan *a%ae# ,hile returning the loose sca$$ard to a position against the hip- The s,ord is
then lo,ered into gedan and chi$uri (lit: $lood sha*e) is perfor%ed- The noto# or sheathing of
the s,ord# is then e<ecuted and the for,ard right leg is retired- This action clears the
practitioner2s $ody fro% the critical distance that the opponent %ay $e a$le to utili&e if still
capa$le of any *ind of action- The practitioner then reassu%es sei&a finishing the for%-
The Hra +ersion of Tatsuna%i sees the pair assu%e the sa%e relati+e positions as in the
o%ote +ersion- The difference $eing in this case that the s,ord is placed on the right side of
their $odies- It has $een suggested that the difference in placing the s,ord on one side of the
$ody o+er the other ,ould depend on the circu%stances of the %eeting and the le+el of trust
$et,een the t,o principals- The lesser the trust the %ore li*ely the s,ord ,ould $e placed on
the practitioners left side ,ere it could $e %ore easily $rought into use-
3s in the o%ote +ersion the shidachi reads his opponents intentions and pic*s up his s,ord#
although this ti%e ,ith his right hand- =e then cha%$ers and stri*es ,ith the $utt to
uchidachi2s face- Hchidachi again duc*s $ac* and atte%pts to gra$ the handle# ,hich is
)uic*ly retracted $y the shidachi- Hnli*e in the pre+iously descri$ed +ersion the shidachi does
not ,ait for his opponent2s ne<t attac* $ut dra,s the s,ord ,ith his left hand across his $ody#
,ith the $lade edge facing up# and thrusts the $lade into his opponent2s solar ple<us- The
chi$uri and the noto actions are the sa%e as in the o%ote +ersion e<cept that they are
perfor%ed using the opposite hands-
This techni)ue de+elops strong physical coordination and de<terity ,hile also training the
practitioner in ho, to $oth o$ser+e and respond to his opponent2s %o+e%ents and counters- It
also teaches the practitioner ho, to $ait the opponent into %o+e%ent that dra,s the% into a
position ,here they are +ulnera$le-
Suio Ryu practitioners are al,ays %ade strongly a,are of the need to dra, the opponent into
cutting range through the use of tric*ery and feigned ,ea*ness- They also learn distancing
through paired practice of all iai techni)ues fro% the central curriculu%- =o,e+er#
practitioners are also constantly re%inded of the si%ple truth that if they are a$le to reach their
opponent ,ith their $lade then the opponent %ust $e a$le to reach the%-
Throughout the practice of techni)ues in the Suio Ryu# practitioners are %ade a,are of the
difference $et,een practicing on le+el ,ooden floor$oards and the reality of %ore natural
ground- Thus ,hen a cut is %ade the practitioner is e<pected to coincide their i%pact on the
+isuali&ed opponent ,ith the planting of the for,ard foot# ensuring $ody ,eight is dri+en
through the target and so e+en if the foot ,ere to slide this ,ould only $e after i%pact had
$een achie+ed- Si%ilarly# the degree of lighting and a+aila$le space for %o+e%ent is also
considered and the affect of these en+iron%ental factors practiced and e<peri%ented ,ith for
each techni)ue-
6 de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
Philosophy
The essence of training in the iai of the Suio Ryu has $een stated $y the 6?th So*e as follo,s-
They are ,ords of
interest and resonance for any practitioner of iai arts-
0The essence of iai lies in the moment when the blade leaves the scabbard. If we err in the
mechanism of the draw we will not be able to influence the moment in which life or death is
decided. Speed, correctness of form and strength, these are the objectives of iai training.
Having said this, for the initiate to begin with speed will cause their bodys form to be
incorrect, their cutting lines to be unclean, their application of kiai will be mistimed and their
iai form will not develop. y firstly calmly and slowly drawing the blade and observing the
form dictated by the tradition, polish your grip, cutting line, body posture and kiai. In this
manner you will prepare the traditions structure, your own and others kiai will become
clearer and speed will be added to your draw. !t length you will also understand when to
move with speed and when to move more slowly and through this understanding reach a
state of universal movement.
"any iai practitioners of today go no further than the most basic practice form of slowly
drawing the sword. This is not the way to achieve improvement. elieving this is truly a
great misconception. To reach the highest level of understanding takes more than one day,
it must take the form of endless practice of the basic techni#ues.
Iai that has not been fully e$plored and studied can only ever be a dance performed with a
sword.2
Conclusion
The +i$rancy and energy of the Suio Ryu under Katsuse So*e can $e %atched $y fe, *oryu
traditions- 3 +isit to the =e*iun*an do.o ,ill see a re%ar*a$le nu%$er of young %en and
,o%en practicing its +aried arts- It is certainly a testa%ent to the generations of Suio Ryu
%asters that so %any young people can find %eaning and inspiration in the teachings of a
tradition ,hose patterns ,ere first laid do,n in the early part of the 67th century-
3s %any traditions of iai in the present day frag%ent into opposing factions and in %any
cases lose their original %artial intent the Suio Ryu stands as a star* e<a%ple of the harsh
reality and effecti+eness of iai.utsu- It is this practical efficacy and the insistence on
%aintaining co%$ati+e reality through harsh paired practice and e<peri%entation that %ar*s
the Suio Ryu as a truly li+ing %artial tradition-
Special than*s are offered to Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo 6"th So*e Katsuse 5oshi%itsu Kagehiro
7 de ;
Antony Cundy Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo (c)
and senior e<ponents of the tradition for their patient and generous support and cooperation
in the de+elop%ent of this article and $eyond-
Bibliography
Japanese 1anguage:
I*eda Kiyo# Katsuse 5oshi%itsu# :e**an Kendo (ippon# Acto$er 6>>"
Katsuse 4itsuyasu# Iai Shugyo no :an%o*u# authors collection
Katsuse 5oshi%itsu# /u ha =ito (ari# 9ai =achi*ai Ko*usai /udo /un*a Se%inar# 6>>6
Katsuse 5oshi%itsu# 4i%a 5oichi&ae%on# (ihon Kengo 9o*uhon# Shin.in$utsu Auraisha#
6>>@
Katsuse 5oshi%itsu# Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo# (ihon 9ensho /ugei Ryuha 9o*uhon# Shin.in$utsu
Auraisha# 6>>?
Ki*uchi =ideyu*i# Ia Ko$udo# Kodansha# 6>>6
4asui Koichi# Ken ,o Ki,a%eru 9ai @ /u: Katsuse 5oshi%itsu# :e**an =iden# (o+e%$er
!!6
(ihon Ko$udo Kyo*ai# (ihon Ko$udo Soran# Shi%a&u Sho$o# 6>;;
Ta*ahara 4a%oru# =a**en no Ishun ni Ka*eru# :e**an =iden# Winter 6>>@
5oshi%ine Kou.i# /u.utsu no =onshitsu# :e**an =iden# Ee$ruary !!
; de ;