Warmups
1. Nuki tsuke, kiri tsuke, chiburi to side, noto changing feet
2. Shomen, three-turn, three-turn. Finish parallel to floor, one fist from the hara
3. Kesa migi = cut opponent’s right shoulder (left to right)
-start = left straight up as in kiri kudashi, cut shoulder to hip, don’t shift hands from tennouchi. Finish = left hand at centerline, kissaki at outside of hip with correct angle. Blade parallel to floor.
4. Kesa hidari = same on other side, right to left
-do the work with the left hand
5. Gyaku kesa migi (left to right)
-start, don’t let left hand loosen, keep the grip, left hand in middle, do it from right foot forward
6. Gyaku kesa hidari, right to left, same
7. Koshi giri (yoko giri) – horizontal, start with horse riding stance, don’t move the feet, keep the body straight, don’t change the hands from tennouchi
-cut from hip to hip, no need to go beyond
8. Shomen kesa migi, kesa hidari – do each separately with maximum power.
Omori – Muso Jikiden
1. Mae – nuki tsuke, knuckles just below the shoulder, tip just below parallel with the floor
-up to jodan with power
2. migi
5 Yae gake – from nuki tsuke to first shomen, move forward under the sword then up and cut down to one knee down, faster and more power.
– draw and block, draw down, bending, then drive the left hip forward as the shinogi-ji blocks the sword, ie square to the front, power to the block
6. Uke Nagashi – up to the deflection there must be power there. Back foot is 8” from the left, deflect up, body slightly back, left foot not too high and strong steps down
7. Kaeshaku – middle line, means you are lined up with the back of the “opponent”
-cut to left hip, (left hand in front of left hip) because of this shift to the right.
8. Tsuke komi – nuki tsuke is a deflection and a miss, you must tand up completely straight, not leaning forward before chasing
-noto, at the base (3rd joint) of your index finger
9. Tsuki Komi – stay low so that the right hand is at shoulder height for a cut across the wrists
10. Oi kaze – short steps, practice. Left foot pushing off, right foot “floating” forward. Then both feet, rear one pushing off, front floating.
-Nuki tsuke No pause before kiri tsuke, kiri tsuke = long step for power and to catch opponent.
Kesa (kiza)
(Jikiden calls it kesa, shinden calls it chuden)
1. Yoko gumo -rise after you grasp, draw while rising, step forward and cut horizontal, left knee forward to right foot, cut kiri tsuke
-noto – 1/3 down from tsuba, Omori = 10cm, Kesa = 1/3 Okuden = 2/3
-draw right foot to left knee, then circle out to left ankle.
2. Tora no issoku – draw while rising, left foot back as block cut to right ankle
-left knee down to right foot and kiri kudashi note: step is back
3. Ina zuma – stay low, shoot the left foot back but the body goes straight up as you cut to the wrists, then the left knee down to the right foot and kiri kudashi
4. Uki gumo -step back and away, big circle with hilt,
-up 45 degrees from parallel with floor, look at opponent
-draw up and cut right next to left shoulder to reach opponent’s right shoulder.
-place left hand on mune, fingers on one side, thumb on the other, pull back strongly
-flip up to straight back (parallel to front line)
-small move over byleft foot to step on sleeve, then sword up over head and a deep cut to left of left knee, left hand well depressed
-clear over knee in smallest motion possible for chiburi
-noto and rise facing about 54 degrees to right of front line
11. Nuki uchi.
—– notes 10
Kim Taylor
Seito Bugei Juku 