Gassan Heihō Mokuroku

Mokuroku [目録]

Gassan Heihō Kenjutsu practice is organized into three main levels:

• Shoden (初伝)
• Chuden (中伝)
• Okuden (奥伝)

Its initial focus is in the kata practice of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū (直心影流). Then these approaches are explored in free practice and further contextualized through the analysis of kata from related branches of Shinkage-ryū that are taught at the Hōbyōkan and elements of my practice of Chinese weapons traditions.

Shoden

初伝

Training begins with the historical mokuroku (目録) of Jikishinkage-ryū (直心影流) kenjutsu (剣術) as found in the Naganuma line before 1805, consisting of 10 kata (形) — some of which contain multiple parts. These are primarily unarmored practices and exchanges, including:

• Unpō (雲法, walking methods), suburi (素振り), and paired kirikomi (切込み) practice
• Hōjō (法序): Hassō Happa (八相発破), Ittō Ryōdan (一刀両断), Uten Satten (右転左転), Chōtan Ichimi (長短一味)
• Tō-no-kata (韜の形): Ryūbi (龍尾), Menkage (面影), Teppa (鉄刃), Matsukaze (松風), Hayafune (早舟), Kokushaku (曲尺), Enren (圓連)

Hōjō is practiced in a continuous fashion, modeled after the four seasons, using a heavy Japanese white oak bokken (木剣). Enren used to be the fifth kata in Hōjō, making one kata for each Daoist phase (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth), but was moved to Tō-no-kata by the mid 18th century. These five kata are related to Sangakuen-no-tachi.

Tō-no-kata is practiced on the left and right side in most kata, although the last two kata have a single version each in contemporary practice, and Teppa is practiced in four parts: left and right, retreating and advancing. Tō-no-kata is practiced with leather wrapped bamboo shinai — these pre-date the shinai commonly used today in Kendō (剣道) practice, and can be hard to find. ¹

After sufficient skill is displayed at Hōjō and Tō-no-kata, as well as in free sparring (jigeiko or tameshi-ai (試合)), a student can progress to the next section of the curriculum.

Chuden

中伝

The next section of practice, called Chuden (中伝), builds upon the foundational skills developed in Shoden and introduces more advanced techniques and applications.

Once skill is developed in Hōjō and Tō-no-kata, we examine how the same foundational kata are practiced in other surviving lines of Shinkage-ryū in the arrangments called Sangakuen (三学圓), Kuka (九箇) and Nanatachi (七太刀):

• Sangakuen is practiced to introduce additional tai-sabaki, explore timing and closer ma-ai. It serves as a bridge that helps students progress from the rote practice of Hōjō to the more advanced methods contained in Habiki.
• Kuka is about drawing an opponent off-balance to allow for a succesful attack. It is said to contain methods to counter certain higher-level principles of the Nen-ryū, Shintō-ryū and Chujo-ryū of Kamiizumi’s time period.
• Nanatachi is said to contain the gokui of Shintō-ryū at the time of Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami and is a more advanced set.

Kodachi practice then contains six kata: Fusei (風勢), Suisei (水勢), Kissaki Gaeshi (切先返(し)), Tsuba Tori (鍔取), Toppi Oppi (突非押非), Enkai (圓快). It is considered the ura of Hōjō.

Okuden

奥伝

Okuden is the final level of practice.

Habiki is an older arrangement of Hōjō, sometimes called koryū-no-kata and contains sophisticated body development practices, helical movements, explosive power generation, and advanced breathing and vocalisations. Additional topics include advanced tactics, including the historical Empi (燕飛 ) and Tengu-sho (天狗抄) sets of Kamiizumi Ise no Kami.

The use of field weapons from a variety of sources, including methods of field sword and long spear, are explored.

Certification

At a certain point of development, I provide a mokuroku listing the formal kata of Hōjō, Tō-no-kata and Kodachi. This is somewhat similar to historical densho but in abbreviated form. This is titled Gassankan Heihō Kenjutsu Mokuroku and is internal to this line of practice. My own license from the Hōbyōkan was similarly only recognized within that school.

Once the okuden is mastered, a teaching license can be awarded. Until that point, recipients of mokuroku can have permission to teach as shihan-dai (assistant instructors). Nicky Sayah Sina and Jake Harlin run Tōsha Dōjō in Seattle – they are Gassankai shihan-dai and dōjō-cho of their own school.

End Notes