Quote:
Keith Larman wrote:
That said the important distinction to make is whether you're training with a bokken to learn something about aiki and/or the bokken *or* if you're training with a bokken as a "substitute" for a live blade for reasons of training safety.
(snip)
But if we're talking about exercises, training, ki development, etc. then yes, I can think of instances where we've trained that way. But that is very different from classical swordsmanship which brings me back full circle -- what's the point of the question in the first place?
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In certain instances of kata, Ueshiba switches the bokken to a single grip in his left hand. Supposedly, Takeda did the same. Both Takeda and Ueshiba studied aiki and koryu. If what they're doing is aiki, it's a matter of what kind of body skill they're developing. If it came from koryu somewhere ... well, wouldn't that be interesting?
Now, skip forward to the students of Ueshiba developing weapons work. Some studied koryu, some took what Ueshiba gave them, etc. But, how many passed down that single, left handed use of the bokken?
Quote:
Keith Larman wrote:
But again... I'm not sure what this has to do with aikido, training, or anything else. I don't see the connection.
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Using a bokken in just the left hand in the Japanese martial world is uncommon. Yet we have at least two who did it. It's uncommon enough that someone should have asked why it was being done, where it came from, etc. As many have noted, there are no left handed swordsmen. But, we have left handed bokken usage. Strange.
Even stranger is that this element seems to have faded from the aikido world. Why? In your training, why did you do that? Where did you learn to use the bokken in the left hand?
Somewhere there is a connection on why Ueshiba and Takeda trained that way. Was it purely aiki training or a remnant of a koryu? Or both? Why has it mostly disappeared from modern aikido training?