Jin and Kiai
Reading Zhang Yun's book on the Tàijíquán Classics (available here (opens in a new tab)) provoked me into thinking a bit about trained force (jin) in the Jiki Shinkage-ryū kenjutsu. It seems clear to me that Jiki does develop jin in its practitioners. The style is known for its powerful cutting action, not common among other styles of Japanese swordsmanship. Additionally, people who practice Jiki but remain tense I believe can find limits to the benefits of the approach, which point to the cutting action being an aspect of "trained force" (jin) rather than raw strength or power. These limits I feel can be moved past by learning to relax properly during practice, despite the sound and fury associated to the art. It may be that one benefit of Jiki's kiai practice is to learn how to relax even when under intense stimulus.
But, that being said, it may very well be that the type of power developed is a form of external (wai) jin, being linked so directly to breathing and kiai. This might be an earlier Chinese influence on the art, when Ogasawara spent thirty years in Beijing, and learned Guandao, a heavy weapon similar to nagamaki or naginata.
I think Jiki practice benefits a great deal from a parallel practice of Taiji. I do not think it is an accident that the kiai in the fifth kata set (Marobashi) is silent. I think that is something Jiki practitioners should keep in the backs of their minds, even if they do not practice that final set of kata. It might speak to an awareness within the art of the distinction between waijin and neijin, and that skill in Jiki can continue to progress to a very high level, sometimes obscured by the shock and awe associated to watching and practicing the art.
Bagua Dao
Recently I learned the last two sections of the Yin Bagua Dao form. I have been working on the Yánglíng-dāo a great deal recently, making my way through the form of Ma Gui. I decided to focus on this one form in 2015-2016 and have finally learning the entire set of tactics. It is one of my favorite practices.
Book Binding
I received my copy of the art book I designed using the Kagami Biraki pictures I took at the Hobyokai over the last four years. I was very happy with how it came out – the image quality was quite nice and the binding looks quite secure. The cover is sturdy and durable with a heavy cotton weave. I think I will definitely use Pikto again, when the need arises.
One nuance of their website that is important to know is when you are done laying out your book, first duplicate the project before ordering a copy. The project disappears when the order is made, and if you do not duplicate the project (as I failed to do), you will not be able to order more copies later, without going through the entire layout process again. This is an element of their work flow that needs to be more actively highlighted on their website. Other than that, I had a great experience and am happy with the results.
