i probably have little idea of what I'm talking about here, so take it with a grain of Salt. In that video shown, why exactly did he have to draw his sword back all that way for about 3/4 of a second, just to put it over his shoulder? Surely he didn't need a ton of power for that. It may have been a feint, but if he was drawing it back that far, could he not go through the unarmed block with a sword strike?
Also, and I know that this was probably purely for the Kata, but why exactly would you be shouting when assassinating somebody by slitting their throat? Does this not remove the purpose of killing them via slitting their throat in the first place..
Hey Matt,
These are some very interesting questions… and I can see how you came to some of the conclusions you did. Let's see how we go with some answers.
To begin with, there are a few things to cover as a base. The first thing to say is that I am not a member of, nor training in, Araki Ryu. I do have friends and acquaintances who train/teach in a couple of different lines of the system, and I've discussed a range of aspects with them at length, but nothing I'm saying here is to be taken as anything other than conjecture from someone outside of the Ryu-ha itself. That conjecture is based on observation, conversation, asking questions myself, and being familiar with the "standard" training methodology (kata geiko) used in Araki Ryu and similar systems. And, a lot of the answers (such as can be provided here) are reliant on an understanding of kata geiko in the first place… so, let's look at that.
Kata geiko (form practice) is the standard method of training for many Koryu (old school… Japanese arts that have an origin pre-dating the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and have continued unbroken since then). In essence, it's the repeated practice of a series of pre-determined actions and movements… in many familiar arts today (such as Karate, TKD etc), that's done as a long string of solo movements… however that particular form of training has it's origins in Chinese training methods, not Japanese. Most Japanese systems have their kata geiko performed with a partner, with each person representing either the side that "wins" or the side that "loses" (note I didn't say anything about an "attacker" or "defender"…
. The major exceptions are where the "opponent" would be in an unsafe position, such as in Kyudo/jutsu (archery), shurikenjutsu (throwing spikes), or Iaijutsu (where a real sword is often used, at least historically). There are one or two other exceptions to this, depending on the system (I am familiar with one system that utilises a solo sojutsu [spearmanship] training kata, and one that features both solo and paired forms of their jujutsu… as well as a couple of systems that do their Iai paired), but this is the common. To see things like Jujutsu kata done solo is highly unusual, and begs further investigation (i.e., it's most likely not actually Japanese Jujutsu).
So that's
what kata geiko is… but we still need to understand the
why and
how questions…
These two questions are intrinsically linked with each other… the "why" gives the "how", so to speak. So, let's look at "why". The "why" of kata geiko is simple, really… it's considered the most efficient way to transmit the lessons of the Ryu, with the least chance of outside contamination (from personal preference, misunderstanding, or anything else). Of course, this is not really that simply understood… so I'll say it again. It's considered the most efficient way to transmit the lessons of the Ryu. Not the best way to teach you to fight, not the best way to learn to spar, or anything else… the best way to transmit the lessons of the Ryu… which might be combative in context, form, application, or anything… or might not be at all. So, as you can see, the most important aspect of kata geiko is that you get the lessons… being able to "fight" is kinda secondary… which means that, when we get to "how", it's about designing a form (kata) that expresses the lessons (ryugi) in a clear fashion. Often, that means that certain actions are highly stylised… or there are parts added (or removed) for the sake of clarity, or congruence, with the rest of the Ryu and it's lessons.
With that, let's look at your questions.
Why did the practitioner pull his kogusoku (dagger) back so far? Well, there are a range of reasons that could be there… one is to ensure that the action is practiced in it's full motion… as, in a real event, the amount of adrenaline can severely "shorten" your actions, and training in an already shortened version can lead to an ineffective movement in real life. It's also ensuring that the weapon is lined up with the target properly. When it comes to him simply "put(ting) it over (the victims) shoulder", that's not quite what happens either… it's a full thrust designed to go all the way through the throat of the enemy. There is no "unarmed block" at all, as it's just not really going to work at that range/speed (remember, this is an embu [martial demonstration], not a keiko [practice session]… things are often done slightly differently there, whether on a technical level, or purely with regards to the speed or similar). The victim, realistically, reacts to being grabbed by counter-grabbing, and utilises the gap in the the grabbing force (as the thrust comes in) to evade with a very slight movement to the left (this is both a defence on the part of the victim, and a training device to ensure that the practitioner can do a full thrust in practice). From there, the action is to move around behind the victim, turning your blade, and cutting… if you've successfully stabbed through the throat, this is a method for opening up the wound, and retrieving your weapon… if not, it turns from a missed thrust into a slice across the carotid artery as you move around to a position where the victim can't defend or apply any weapon they might have, and applying a finishing thrust (to dome) to the neck.
So, within this small action, you have redundancies, counters, attacking forms, defences, controls, tactical aspects, control over the image you're presenting, and far, far more. You can see that kata geiko is far more than just "this is a technique"… it's a technique which is representative of much more important aspects.
Ah, the kiai… In many traditional systems, the kiai serves a range of purposes… it can be used as a "book end" to the technique… it is used to emphasise certain aspects… it can be used to indicate a complete commitment to the action (ki - energy, ai - harmony… ki-ai, therefore, is harmonising with your energy, or intention, and implies having every part of yourself dedicated to what you're doing [physical, spiritual, mental etc]). Here, I would posit that this is a way of emphasising the commitment to the action more than anything else… a definitive statement of your intent (symbolically) in your action.
