Introduction to the Gogyo no Kata (Kenjutsu) and Insights to Aikijujutsu

Hosted by Itten Dojo September 14 and 15, 2019 Itten Dojo is honored to host Uhler Sensei and Hashimoto Sensei on September 14 and 15 for a weekend of training devoted to the Gogyo no Kata (kenjutsu) of Takano Sasaburo and aikijujutsu. The kenjutsu kata will be the focus for Saturday; Sunday morning will offer a comparative look at three different lines of aikijujutsu/aikijutsu: Hakuho-ryu with Uhler Sensei and Hashimoto Sensei, Daito-ryu (Bokuyo-kan) with Franco Sensei, and Yamate-ryu with Wolfe Sensei. Training on Saturday and Sunday is open to all members of the dojo and invited guests.

There will also be a pre-seminar, private training session for members-only of the Itten Dojo Ono-ha Itto-ryu Sokaku-den kenjutsukai, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. the evening of Friday, 13 September.

For the open sessions Saturday and Sunday, doors will open at 8:00 a.m. Training will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. both mornings, and conclude at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 12:00 noon on Sunday. A lunch break will run from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, with lunch at a diner within walking distance (at participant’s expense). Participants are encouraged to bring additional or sports drinks for themselves.

The Gogyo no Kata (as described by Uhler Sensei)

The Gogyo no Kata are an interesting set of sword kata which are not very well known, and for which there is very little information available. These kata are modified techniques taken from the Itto-ryu school of swordsmanship, and are designed to teach elegant and fluent body movements.

The Itto-ryu is a sword school developed from the combat experiences of Ito Ittosai Kagehisa in the late 1500s. When Ito Ittosai retired, Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki inherited the school, and subsequently became an instructor to both the second and third Tokugawa Shogun. Ono Tadaaki’s Itto-ryu became known as Ono-ha Itto-ryu, and is considered the main line of Itto- ryu today. One branch of Ono-ha Itto-ryu is the Nakanishi-ha Itto-ryu. There is actually very little difference between the two branches and practitioners often did not make any distinctions, with Nakanishi-ha practitioners often calling their style Ono-ha — this is probably why there is some confusion as to which school of Itto-ryu Takano Sasaburo studied.

Takano Sasaburo, the father of modern kendo, was a proponent of the Nakanishi-ha Itto-ryu. He developed the Gogyo no Kata in 1904 for students of the Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko (present-day Tsukuba University). This was the primary university a student had to attend if he wanted to become a teacher in the Japanese education system, and kendo was part of the curriculum every student had to take. The Samurai, Farmer, Artisan, and Merchant class system had already been abolished during the Meiji Restoration period (1868) and many students had no idea how to use a real sword. In order to more easily teach kendo, Takano Sasaburo developed five long-sword versus long-sword kata and three short-sword versus long-sword kata. These sets became known as the Gogyo no Kata.

The term gogyo is often translated in English as “the five elements;” however, the meaning is more abstract and broad than that. For example, we could think of the five elements from the most basic and literal point of view: , , , , and water. Or, we could look at gogyo from the point of view of Miyamoto Musashi’s treatise The Book of Five Rings: earth, water, fire, wind, and void (notice that wood and metal are replaced with wind and void). Gogyo could also be looked at as, heaven, earth, human being, in, and yo. In and Yo are Japanese for the better-known Chinese represented by the kanji (characters) for shadow (檒) and light (檚).

In our school of Itto-ryu (Aizu Han Kei Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu Sokaku-den — The Aizu Clan version of Ono-ha Itto- ryu, as taught by Takeda Sokaku), the five long-sword Gogyo no Kata are usually the second set of kata taught. We first teach the ten pre-war Dai Nihon Teikoku Kendo Kata to beginners because of the relative simplicity and utility of the kata for conveying fundamentals. The Gogyo no Kata are a natural choice with which to follow up, as these kata are taken more directly from the Itto-ryu. The kata as a whole are much “smoother” than the Kendo Kata, and review reiho, kamae, and ma-ai from the Kendo Kata, in addition to adding new footwork that contains both slow and rapid, and strong and soft, fluid movements. Requirements to Participate

Participants for the Saturday kenjutsu seminar must have a proper keikogi and both long and short bokken. Only Ono-ha Itto-ryu style bokken or any standard bokken of approximately 40-inch length (for long-sword) and approximately 22-inch length (for short-sword) will be permitted. (Bizen-zori Odachi cannot be used for this seminar.) Tsuba are recommended — there are plastic tsuba and rubber seppa-dome available at the dojo. For the Sunday aikijujutsu seminar, only a proper keikogi is required.

To Register

Registration fees for this seminar are $75 for Saturday and $50 for Sunday; with a total for both days of $125.

Participants can register online at https://ittendojo.org/events/Gogyo-no-kata.htm and submit fees via PayPal, or mail the completed registration form on the following page, along with appropriate payment by check, to:

Itten Dojo, Inc. 701 West Simpson Street, Suite C Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-3716

Paid seminar registrations must be received no later than Wednesday, 4 September, 2019.

Accommodations

For participants from out of town, we recommend the following hotel:

TownePlace Suites by Marriott — Harrisburg West 4915 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-6928 (Phone) 717-691-1400 • (Fax) 717-691-6300

Saturday Dinner at The Caddy Shack (Armitage Golf Course)

Our post-seminar dinner will be held in the club house, at 6:30 p.m., and is open to participants and their guests. We’ll be ordering from the menu and paying individually, so all we need to know is whether or not you plan to attend. The restaurant is located at:

The Caddy Shack Restaurant 800 Orrs Bridge Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-2136 717-975-0940 • caddyshackrestaurant.com

If additional information is required, please email Robert Wolfe at [email protected]. Gogyo no Kata and Aikijujutsu — 2019

Registration

Name:

Street:

City: State: ZIP:

Home Dojo:

• I wish to register for: Saturday, September 14 — Gogyo no Kata ($75.00) Sunday, September 15 — Comparative Aikijujutsu ($50.00) Dinner Saturday Evening (participant expense)

• I have enclosed a check or money order in the amount of $ (Payable to “Itten Dojo, Inc.”)

Release of Liability

The Itten Dojo, Inc., its instructors, officers, and members assume no liability for injuries or damages arising from participation in the September 14 and 15, 2019 Gogyo no Kata / Comparative Aikijujutsu seminar sessions. Due to the strenuous nature of the seminar curriculum, participants are urged to consult a physician regarding his or her fitness to train. All activities possess certain inherent risks and hazards, which the participant assumes with full knowledge.

No persons under the age of 16 years, not a member of Itten Dojo, will be permitted to participate.

• I have read the above waiver, understand its content, and agree to abide by it. I release Itten Dojo, Inc., its officers, instructors, and members from all liability.

Participant’s Signature: Date:

Name (Please Print): Date of Birth: