After a couple of centuries of peace during the Edo period, trouble spots began to smolder again, this time largely due to interest from the world outside the island kingdom in opening up trade relations. The Tokugawa regime had partly succeeded in shielding Japan from impressions from the outside world, which had rushed ahead with industrial development and prosperity as well as military inventions that made swords and spears hopelessly out of step with modern weapons. The fighting skills of the samurai were also deplorable. Two hundred years of philosophical study of forms that they did not understand and no experience of what was told from ancient times about battles on the battlefield, had reduced the proud representatives of the warrior class to a collection of paper tigers. Generals became painfully aware of these shortcomings when the need to arm themselves became a reality in the mid-nineteenth century. To remedy the lack of practical applications with swords, Nagaoka Fusashige of Shinkage-ryū developed over two hundred drill sequences for combat training. We have selected seven of them to complement the Sangaku material.
Matsukoto
Both opponents move towards each other. When the uchidachi stops, the shidachi also stops. When the uchidachi steps forward with his right leg and cuts, the shidachi waits a split second and cuts towards his opponent and simultaneously steps forward with his right leg. Both step back to parallel feet again and then the uchidachi takes a step forward with his left foot and cuts. The shidachi waits a split second and cuts towards his opponent and steps forward with his left leg. Gasshiuchi teaches how to cut straight down and “split” the opponent’s cut by waiting a split second to get on top of his sword and split its path. It is important to cut straight down with determination.
Migi-tochuzo
Both opponents walk towards each other. When the shidachi judges that he is one step away from being hit by a strike (issoku-ittō no ma), he steps diagonally to the right unnoticed with his left leg, thus ending up outside his opponent's center line. Uchidachi strikes and the sword misses its target; with his right leg, the shidachi takes a powerful step towards the uchidachi and strikes at the hidari-sokumen (left side of the head). The uchidachi steps back with his right leg and catches the strike with his kote (forearm). We use kendo gloves in these exercises to help us strike powerfully with the bamboo sword. When the shidachi steps diagonally to the right in front of his right leg with his left leg, it is important that he does not rotate his hip in the direction of movement, but rather that it faces the uchidachi's center line. This makes it more difficult for the opponent to detect the change in course.
Hidari-tochuzo
Both opponents are walking towards each other. When the shidachi judges that he is one step away from being hit by a blow (issoku-ittō no ma), he steps diagonally to the left unnoticed with his right leg, thus ending up outside his opponent's center line. Uchidachi cuts and the sword misses its target; with his left leg, the shidachi takes a powerful step towards the uchidachi and cuts towards the migi-sokumen (right side of the head). Uchidachi steps back with his left leg and catches the blow against the kote. When the shidachi steps diagonally to the left with his right leg in front of his left leg, it is important that he does not rotate his hip in the direction of movement, but rather that it faces the uchidachi's center line. This makes it difficult for the opponent to detect the change of course. Tochūzō is an important principle; not to announce one's true intention.
Hidari-sassokoto
Both opponents move towards each other. When we come to issoku-ittō no ma with the left foot first, we lower the sword from seiraitō no kurai to shishi no mai and offer (sassō) a striking surface. When uchidachi cuts, we direct the sword to the side with a planing spiral movement and attack his head. Uchidachi catches the cut to kote and delivers alternating cuts of his own; head, head, inside leg, inside leg, head, head and catches the cut to kote. Shidachi alternates in the same way; cuts to the opponent's head (which is caught to kote) and parries the cut to the head with mawashi-uchi and to the legs with kuraizume.
Migi-sassokoto
Both opponents move towards each other. When we come to issoku-ittō no ma with the right foot first, we lower the sword from seiraitō no kurai to shishi no mai and offer (sassō) a striking surface. When uchidachi slashes, we guide the sword to the side with a planing spiral movement and attack his head. Uchidachi catches the slash against kote and delivers alternating slashes of his own; head, head, outside leg, outside leg, head, head and catches slash against kote. Shidachi alternates in a similar way; slashes against the opponent's head (which is caught against kote) and parries against slashes to the head with mawashi-uchi and to the legs with kuraizume. In addition to the fact that in the first drill you start with the left leg and in the second with the right leg, there are also differences in the attack against the legs. In hidari-sassōkoto, uchidachi slashes against the insides of the legs and in migi-sassōkoto against their outsides.
Hane-uchi
Both opponents are moving towards each other. When we reach issoku-ittō no ma, uchidachi strikes the head and we step forward and stop the strike early with hane-uchi, and then strike uchidachi's head. Uchidachi catches the strike with kote and delivers alternating strikes of his own to the head; attacks that we constantly block with hane-uchi. The various drills in shiai-seihō give us the skill to perceive fast strikes and who their targets are. We are therefore soon able to automatically deliver appropriate strikes and parries at an increasingly fast pace without thinking. In the last five exercises, shidachi has quickly taken the initiative and pushed uchidachi back, which is not the case in the last drill.
Kuraizume
Both opponents move towards each other. When we reach issoku-ittō no ma, uchidachi strikes at the head and we step forward and stop the strike early with hane-uchi, and then strike at uchidachi's head. Uchidachi catches the strike at kote and takes the initiative by pushing shidachi back with several strikes to the arms, torso and legs. Shidachi parries the strike with kuraizume and tries to regain command with strikes to the same target. This drill practices the skill of parrying with kuraizume in a series of strikes and trying to regain the initiative when the opponent has gained the upper hand.