Thread: "Muto"
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Old 03-04-2005, 05:24 PM   #15
David Humm
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 269
United Kingdom
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Re: "Muto"

Kent, thanks for your comments.

Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
I think overall, it's pretty good, despite the spelling errors.
Hence the statement in my post earlier...
Quote:
Dave Humm wrote:
...the first draft of the document
Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
In it, you also make a couple of assumptions about the mechanics of a sword cut.
After over ten years Iai study I can assure you I haven't assumed anything, which is why I decided to write the document and present a series of lessons to my Aikido students on the subject of tachi-dori/Muto-dori.
Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
One is that there needs to be some sort of pulling motion. This is style specific. Some use pulling motion, some use levering motion, and some use pushing motion.
Do you study Iai or Kendo?
Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
... There are probably styles that use mechanics not properly any of those three.
If this is the case how can you say that I have made an assumption about the mechanics of a sword cut and then quote aspects which may or may not be used ? That's a bit of a contradiction.
Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
...The second is that the sword must be raised to cut:
Now you assume that all kirioshi begins in ken no kamae or chudan. Kessa giri can be anything other than "raised to cut" also; you make the assumption that the swordsman has his sword drawn, until the kissaki leaves the saya, no one other than the swordsman knows which direction the sword will take - following nukitsuki, kirioshi can be made through various targets ranging from the legs to the head.
Quote:
Kent Enfield wrote:
Though popular in kendo, it's not nearly as popular in many kenjutsu ryuha. And unless the sword wielder intends to thrust (which I've never seen as the attack in aikido tachidori), there's no reason to be in chudan when the other person is unarmed. Jodan, hasso, and their variants give almost as many options and eliminate the time spent on an upswing.
You will note if you read my article again that it isn't intended to be a definitive manual of muto no jutsu. Indeed it simply makes the point that muto is a last resort application that has high risks and requires commitment to achieve 'victory'. These points are reinforced in the translations kindly provided by Jun.

You will also note that I haven't mention specifics other than to comment on the "enter under the handle" being the same in principle to shomen uchi ikkyo; however, as a sword user I know all too well that a trained swordsman will adopt whatever posture/kamae which he/she feels affords the most advantage, even if this is used to 'fool' the unsuspecting opponent in to a sense of security.

Regards

Dave

Last edited by David Humm : 03-04-2005 at 05:29 PM.
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