Thursday, May 26, 2005
ซามูไรไทย / Samurai Sword Technique 抜刀術 Institute of Thailand
For more information, go to http://www.samuraithai.com
Zen meditation with Samurai sword
Battou-jitsu 抜刀術 (IAI) is not as same as what we see in those action movies. Not as same as what we see in Kendo. Battou-jitsu is Zen meditation with samurai sword. It requires the skill of meditation while developping your concentration. It is also useful for your life and business action. The Samurai culture (Bushido) has a great impact on your problem-solving skill as well.
The classical samurai looked upon the sword as the eternal symbol of his profession. It was, as "gentleman's steel," the best friend of bravery, and, as "pitiless steel," the worst foe of treachery. In the hands of a kenshi (expert swordsman), a finely ground and polished blade both killed and cured. For the nation at large, the samurai's sword was the symbol of justice and martyrdom, both a creator and a destroyer.
Because the classical samurai considered his sword as something that was both universal and persistently personal, it was not merely a tool or weapon. He believed his sword to be endowed with mystic qualities, a sentient being that spoke, sang, rejoiced, or grieved as the situation dictated. The sword became an object of identification for the samurai, who always treated it with infinite affection, just as he would a loved one; for this reason he carefully chose an appropriate name for his blade. The sword was not, as is sometimes claimed, simply the samurai's soul, but rather his living soul.
Battou-jitsu, or sword-drawing art, made it possible for the samurai to develop the power to triumph over mere violence. This art is essentially a defensive one, dealing as it does with methods of using a sword that must be drawn from a position of rest inside its scab-bard. The technical rationale of Battou-jitsu permits the swordsman to respond to situations imposed
upon him by an aggressor. But the criteria by which an aggressor is defined are broad, the phenomenon by which offensive and defensive actions are basically one, to be decided on at the appropriate moment by the exponent of Battou -jitsu. Unlike kenjitsu, Battou-jitsu is generally performed as a solo exercise and makes munch of the fact that the exponent
may be seated, crouching, or reclining, and thus relatively unprepared for combat.
Four stages of sword mechanics receive emphasis in Battou-jitsu: the Nukitsuke, or draw; the Kiritsuke, or cutting action; the Chiburi, or removal of blood from the blade; and the Noto, or return of the blade to its scabbard. Each of these stages must be performed in an efficient manner and smoothly blended into a single unit of performance over which an unbroken
state of Zanshin prevails.
Exponents of Battou-jitsu are traditionally required to use only a live blade (or dedicated sword for beginner), that is , one that is razor sharp; for unless an actual sword is used, it is impossible to generate the mental attitude necessary to the art. Thus, when correctly done, the mechanics of Battou-jitsu bring the exponent within fractions of an inch of the sharp blade, making the performance a literal flirt with death that must be repeated a substantial number of times daily if it is ever to be expertly performed and maintained.
Zen meditation with Samurai sword
Battou-jitsu 抜刀術 (IAI) is not as same as what we see in those action movies. Not as same as what we see in Kendo. Battou-jitsu is Zen meditation with samurai sword. It requires the skill of meditation while developping your concentration. It is also useful for your life and business action. The Samurai culture (Bushido) has a great impact on your problem-solving skill as well.
The classical samurai looked upon the sword as the eternal symbol of his profession. It was, as "gentleman's steel," the best friend of bravery, and, as "pitiless steel," the worst foe of treachery. In the hands of a kenshi (expert swordsman), a finely ground and polished blade both killed and cured. For the nation at large, the samurai's sword was the symbol of justice and martyrdom, both a creator and a destroyer.
Because the classical samurai considered his sword as something that was both universal and persistently personal, it was not merely a tool or weapon. He believed his sword to be endowed with mystic qualities, a sentient being that spoke, sang, rejoiced, or grieved as the situation dictated. The sword became an object of identification for the samurai, who always treated it with infinite affection, just as he would a loved one; for this reason he carefully chose an appropriate name for his blade. The sword was not, as is sometimes claimed, simply the samurai's soul, but rather his living soul.
Battou-jitsu, or sword-drawing art, made it possible for the samurai to develop the power to triumph over mere violence. This art is essentially a defensive one, dealing as it does with methods of using a sword that must be drawn from a position of rest inside its scab-bard. The technical rationale of Battou-jitsu permits the swordsman to respond to situations imposed
upon him by an aggressor. But the criteria by which an aggressor is defined are broad, the phenomenon by which offensive and defensive actions are basically one, to be decided on at the appropriate moment by the exponent of Battou -jitsu. Unlike kenjitsu, Battou-jitsu is generally performed as a solo exercise and makes munch of the fact that the exponent
may be seated, crouching, or reclining, and thus relatively unprepared for combat.
Four stages of sword mechanics receive emphasis in Battou-jitsu: the Nukitsuke, or draw; the Kiritsuke, or cutting action; the Chiburi, or removal of blood from the blade; and the Noto, or return of the blade to its scabbard. Each of these stages must be performed in an efficient manner and smoothly blended into a single unit of performance over which an unbroken
state of Zanshin prevails.
Exponents of Battou-jitsu are traditionally required to use only a live blade (or dedicated sword for beginner), that is , one that is razor sharp; for unless an actual sword is used, it is impossible to generate the mental attitude necessary to the art. Thus, when correctly done, the mechanics of Battou-jitsu bring the exponent within fractions of an inch of the sharp blade, making the performance a literal flirt with death that must be repeated a substantial number of times daily if it is ever to be expertly performed and maintained.
