Developing the correct grip is very important in basic Daito Ryu training.

Here is a translation of a column written by Iida sensei about the importance of the grip and the forearm. The link to the original article is provided at the bottom of the post:

* “Sokaku Struck his Opponent’s Right Forearm Like Lighting.”

An episode revealing the Aiki of Takeda Sokaku occcurred at a kendo tournament held during an autumn festival at a place called Yuubetsu in Hokkaido. Many kendo fighters from all over Hokkaido gathered at this location. One of the most notable swordsmen in Hokkaido at the time was Ryokichi Sasaki of the Ono ha itto ryu. Sasaki and Sokaku knew each other and Sokaku observed many of the matches during the competition. Sasaki defeated all comers and won the tournament outright. After Sasaki returned home however, Sokaku visited him to give him a piece of advice.

“In the future,” He told Sasaki, “You should stop using the hikigote technique during matches. It’s not very effective, and even if you manage to land a hit on your opponent, it leaves you open to counterattacks.”

Sasaki replied that he had never been beaten when using the hikigote technique so he saw no problem. In response, Sokaku proposed that they participate in a match. He told Sasaki to put on gauntlets to protect his forearms and they faced off.

Sokaku predicted where he was going to strike Sasaki before he struck.

“First, I will strike your left forearm and then I will strike the same point on your right forearm.” Try as he might, Sasaki could not prevent Sokaku from striking him successively on either forearm and he eventually admitted admitted defeat. When he removed the gauntlets, Sasaki saw that black bruises about three centimetres wide had formed on both his wrists. The shape and size of the bruises were evidence that Sokaku’s strikes repeatedly hit the same spot on both of Sasaki’s wrists. This can be said to be evidence that Sokaku had attained the status of a master.

*On the Importance of the Grip in Golf.

I also have some experience of playing golf. The first time I competed in my company’s golf tournament, I managed to win. Developing the correct grip is the secret to improving one’s game. Sapporo City [my Hometown] is located in what is known in Japan as “snow country”, so you can’t play golf on the greens throughout the long winter. However, I was advised by an experienced golfer to practice gripping the golf club during the off-season. If you work on developing your grip, your golf game can dramatically improve. The swing in golf is said to be ninety percent affected by how the club is held, so the key to improving your golf swing lies in developing your grip.

* Holding the sword in Genshu Den Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.

The teaching of the Shinkage ryu swordsmanshup emphasises the curve of the thumb and index finger when holding the sword. This is contrasts with tightly wrapping the index finger and the thumb around the hilt as is the practice in modern kendo. The ‘rounded grip’ of Shinkage Ryu is called Tatsunokuchi – The Dragon’s mouth- and is a deep teaching of the school. The famous swordsman Yangyu Genshu said that the inner teaching of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu was revealed in this method of holding the sword. I think that if the interested reader were to examine the three cases presented in this column, a common thread would become apparent.

September 3, 2021