The Tanka of Eishin-ryū: Part 5 – Oroshi (revised)

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the fifth technique, Oroshi.

Gohon-me: Oroshi

'Blowing Snow' - by Shreyans Bhansali on Flickr

Oroshi, or Yamaoroshi, is the fifth technique in Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. Like Ukigumo, this technique varies somewhat in execution between Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū. However the essential point of the waza remains the same.

Another similarity between Oroshi and Ukigumo is that Oroshi also contains some clear grappling elements. As with most, if not all of the Eishin-ryū waza, Oroshi may be interpreted in a number of ways in order to adapt it to different situations. In particular, this applies to the grappling elements. Different sensei teach different interpretations of Oroshi as their “standard,” and some sensei (my own for example) will teach more than one version. For simplicity’s sake I will only describe general versions of the technique for both Jikiden and Shinden.

Gogyō no Kamae

I am sure that the majority of kendo practitioners are familiar with the concept behind the five kamae. As a beginner, though, I thought writing about it might be interesting for other people just starting out in budo.

The Gogyō Setsu (五行説), or Gogyō Shisō, is a sequence of five “elements” originating in Chinese cosmology, where it is known as the Wu Xing (五行). It is used to describe relationships between various elements in fields such as astrology, traditional medicine and art. It is also used to describe cycles found in nature, such as the changing of the seasons. The sequence is – significantly – cyclical, not linear, but includes linear contrasts between points on the cycle. Of note to us is its use in describing the martial arts.

The Gogyō Setsu is made up of the following concepts:

• Wood (木)
• Fire (火)
• Earth (土)
• Metal (金)
• Water (水)

In this sequence, one element begets the next, but also overcomes the next element but one. To explain:

• Wood is fuel for fire
• Fire creates earth (ash)
• Earth contains metal
• Metal holds water (condensation)
• Water feeds wood (trees)

Meanwhile:

• Wood (trees) split earth
• Fire melts metal
• Earth absorbs water
• Metal (tools) chop wood
• Water quenches fire

In kendo, the Gogyō Setsu is used to describe the five basic kamae, and the relationships between them. This way of thinking presumably comes from traditional swordsmanship, although I am unaware of where exactly it originated. What I am concerned with here is the way the kamae conflict with one another.

Blog Anniversary

It’s been one year since I began writing this blog. That’s actually hard to believe, but I checked – it’s true.

What’s happened in the past year? Well, I passed my kendo shodan. I went to see the Kyoto Taikai. I made lots of trips to other parts of Japan for training. I attended the All Japan Iaido Taikai as a member of staff. And I made incremental progress in the budo I study.

I also began writing The Tanka of Eishin-ryu series of articles for kenshi247.net and this blog. As the header of my blog says, I’m a beginner, and I don’t feel I’m attempting to do anything too advanced by making these translations. There is a great deal of information that’s not available – or not widely available – if you don’t speak Japanese, and it’s not all high-level stuff.

What are my goal for 2010? Well, I should be taking my kendo nidan and iaido sandan. I may also end up moving to another part of Japan, where my options for budo study may become even wider. It’ll be interesting to see where this year takes me.

2010 Nagasaki Hatsugeiko

The 4th annual Nagasaki Hatsugeiko Kendo Enbu Taikai was held in Nagasaki City at the Former Magistrate’s Office. It was the first keiko of the year for many local children, and featured uchikomi, kirikaeshi, jigeiko, kata and iaido and jodo enbu.

I’ve put 50 or so pictures of the event online, which you can find on my flickr page.

After the event, I went directly to my senpai’s kendo club and did my first keiko of the year.

Keiko

What is keiko? This word, and variants of it such as jigeiko, have been adopted by budo practitioners outside Japan to mean “training.” This is not a mistake – it’s pretty much how the word is used in Japanese dojo too. But its meaning is deeper than that.

Training or practice of physical or mental activities is usually expressed in Japanese with the word renshū (練習). Renshū is composed of two kanji – 練, meaning “refine” and 習, meaning “learn.” For example, Japanese kids will go to sakkā (football) renshū or yakyū (baseball) renshū, or have piano or gitā (guitar) renshū.

But in budo and classical Japanese arts such as tea ceremony, the word renshū is rarely if ever used. In its place is the word keiko. I will admit that I have heard renshū used by some younger Japanese judo players, but others I know will still insist on saying keiko. What is the difference?

The word keiko is spelled 稽古. The first character has a number of related meanings: “retain,” “amass,” “consider,” and “compare.” The key word here is “consider,” particularly indicating “think deeply about.” The second character is “antiquity.” Therefore keiko means, literally, “consider antiquity” – in Japanese, 古を稽える. It tells us that we should be learning the correct way of doing things by looking at how they were done in the past. We should compare how we act to the old ways, and bring ourselves in line accordingly, thus continuing the tradition.

In the kendo world I have often heard non-Japanese speakers use “keiko” to refer specifically to jigeiko, or as it is sometimes thought of, “free sparring,” but this is not what the word means. Uchikomi is also keiko. Suburi is also keiko. Even putting on your hakama and bogu correctly is keiko. At a seminar I attended, one sensei said: “everything you do should be keiko. When walking down the street or simply breathing, you should be treating it as keiko.”

The difference between keiko and renshū is a significant one as far as I’m concerned. As we start the new year, I aim to move forward in my training by looking to the past.