Chiba Sensei's bokken exercises

The "Part 2" that I refer to remains the same for each of the 8 parts of this "kata"...

Part 2

Step forward with the rear foot and thrust chudan.

Smoothly raise the hands over the top of your head, pivot on the balls of the

feet to face 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and lower the sword back

to chudan kamae (you'll have the opposite foot forward to the one you started

with).

Start in right posture, chudan kamae:

1) Step back with the front (right foot) and shomen, then ... (part 2) and repeat on other side.

2) Step forward with rear (left) foot and shomen, then ... (part 2) and

repeat on other side.

3) Turn tenkan cutting up the vertical line. Continue the cut up, over your

head, until you're facing the front again, then ... (part 2) and repeat on

other side.

4) Pivot to face the rear, then step forward with the rear (right) foot,

cutting up the vertical line. Continue the cut up, over your head, until

you're facing the front again, then ... (part 2) and repeat on other side.

5) Step forward with the rear (left) foot from the 6 o'clock position to the 3

o'clock position, at the same time, and in one motion, the tip of the sword

drops to guard your right side from attack, then comes over your head and

does shomen (you're now facing 3 o'clock). Then ... (part 2) and repeat on

other side.

6) Step forward with the rear (left) foot from the 6 o'clock position to a

position just infront of your right foot. At the same time, and in one

motion, the tip of your sword drops to guard your right side from attack,

then comes over your head and does shomen as you step back with the right

foot (you're now facing 3 o'clock). Then ... (part 2) and repeat on other

side.

7) Step forward with the rear (left) foot to perform irmi-tenkan. The tip of

the sword drops during this motion to guard your right side from attack,

then as the tenkan is completed, comes over the head to do shomen. Then ...

(part 2) and repeat on other side.

8) Slide the front (right) foot over to the 3 o'clock position, then move the

left foot to where the right foot was. Pivot so that you're facing 9

o'clock. At the same time, and in one motion, the tip of the sword drops to

cover the LEFT side of your body, then comes over the head and does shomen.

Then ... (part 2) and repeat on other side.

The purpose of the "kata" is to demonstrate the relationship between swordwork and the eight variations of shihonage that Chiba Sensei regularly teaches.

Grab a partner, in Ai Hanmi or Gyaku Hanmi and see if you can see how it

works! Which of the 8 techniques above is Ai Hanmi, and which is Gyaku Hanmi

is left as an exercise for the reader! :-)

Julian