Sword training and etiquette

Sword training

The wooden sword, or bokken, used for training in Takemusu Aiki Aikido is a curved, standard length sword of plain design. It is smooth and unsharpened, without a tip or handguard (tsuba) and weighs slightly less than a live blade. Made of Japanese white oak (sometimes red oak), it is very tough yet flexible, and long lasting. The wood of the sword, when struck by another sword, compacts rather than lifts, which is a safety factor for training, and in no way damages the sword. The sword has no handguard in Aikido, because there are certain techniques in Japanese sword styles, (kenjutsu) which rely on the guard to protect the hands, and in Aikido our aim is use principles of body movement rather than simple hand movements to defend ourselves against attack. Relying on a particular small thing is regarded as a weakness in tradtitional Martial Arts. In the later stages of training, there are a number of heavier and differently shaped wooden swords, used for special purposes.

Why train with the wooden sword, or bokken?

Training with a wooden sword (bokken) is a very important aspect of Aikido, and should not be overlooked. It comes from a long tradition of Martial Arts training in Japan, and is still practiced today in other sword schools and styles in Japan, as part of kenjutsu training. Although it seems inappropriate to train with a sword in our modern lifestyle, there are many training and physical benefits to be gained by continuing to practice daily with a sword.

In the hands of an experienced kenjutsu practioner, a wooden sword can be just as deadly as a live blade. It is said that if you cannot kill someone with the wooden sword, you would be unable to do so with a live blade. In Aikido we regard a wooden sword with just as much care and importance as a live blade, so during training we bear in mind that we are training not just with a wooden sword, but with a deadly weapon.

In this way, sword training can give us a more serious and careful approach to our training. Training only with empty hands can become taken for granted, and this is when mistakes can be made. To be hit by the sword is sometimes painful and possibly injuring, so as an incentive, it makes our training more focussed, realistic and valuable. Aikido hand techniques, and many of its higher strategic principles are derived from this tradition of kenjutsu, so training with a sword also has the purpose of taking us back to the root of our techniques. In many ways, training with the sword can teach us principles and show us aspects of the techniques that may be overlooked when only training with empty hands. Sword training, and weapons training in general, keeps Aikido realistic, practical and strong.

It has been said that if hand, sword and stick techniques were each placed at the points of a triangle, Saito Sensei would have sword at the top of that triangle. This is supported by the fact that of Saito Sensei’s 5 volume Traditional Aikido book series published in 1974, sword training appears first.

In Takemusu Aikido “Iwama Style” Aikido, sword training is essential.

Origins of Aiki Ken techniques

In the early part of his life, O-Sensei came into into contact with and studied a number of kenjutsu ryu, or sword styles, such as Yagyu Ryu, and most notably the Katori and Kashima Shinto Ryu. Daito Ryu Aiki Ju-Jutsu also contained a sword form, Ono-ha Itto Ryu, although there is research needed to analyse the extent of influence by Itto Ryu on O-Sensei’s Aiki-ken. O-Sensei was also a great friend of a number of Iaido exponents, including Michio Hikitsuchi.

Sword etiquette

Training in Iwama Style Aikido follows the traditional Japanese way, the way Martial Arts have been taught for centuries, and for that reason, we must also follow the etiquette and manner associated with the tradition.

When carrying a sword, it is held in the left hand at the side, with the hilt pointing forward, and the blade turned “edge-up”. This is how swords were traditionally worn, they were carried safely and were drawn from this position. To draw the sword, reach across your waist with the right hand, your thumb pointing down, and grip at the top of the hilt. Let go with your left hand, and bring your right, with the sword, out in front of your body, so the tip points at chest height away and in front of you, with the blade now turned to the floor. Then grip the base of the hilt with the left hand, and step to kamae, or sword stance. To return the sword to your side, let go of the hilt with the left hand, and bring it back to the hip. At the same time, rotate the wrist so that the blade rolls to the left, and the tip raises and returns past you elbow, down to hip level. Bring your right hand back across your waist so that the hilt is pointing forward, then grip the centre of the sword with the left hand. When not training or using the sword, it must returned to the side, and be subsequently treated as though kept in its scabbard. From here the sword can be handled freely and be regarded as safe. When the sword is drawn, it should be treated as a live blade until returned to the side.

When picking up a sword for the first time in a dojo, or in the presence of an important peson, the sword should be presented and a bow made. Pick up and hold the sword at its centre with the left hand. Present the sword by holding your left hand out in front of your, knuckles down, with the sword, hilt to the left and blade turned up. The right hand comes forward, as though shaking hands, but goes under the sword until the thumb contacts the blade. At this point bow the head, and bend at the hip, with a slight pause to show respect. Return the sword to the left side, and continue whatever your were doing. This process also happens in reverse to bow out of a situation, or you place a sword down for the last time in a dojo.

If the class starts with a bow in, and finishes with a bow out including the swords, no further presentation of the sword is necessary, unless it is used again outside the training session.

For the formal bow in with a sword, it is held in the left hand as above. To sit, drop backwards onto the right knee first, using the right hand to sweep the hakama under your folding legs. Then sit back onto the left knee, sitting in seiza, while still holding the sword in the left hand. Bring the left hand forward and up, allowing the sword to hang vertically in front of you, blade inwards. Turn the left hand so the palm is facing up, causing the sword tip to point to the right, making the sword horizontal. Place the hand, knuckles down, to the floor, and bring the right hand to the sword near the tip, steadying it, as you open the left hand and allow the sword to lie flat, squarely in front of you, with the handle to the left and the blade pointing inwards. This is the most deferential position to lay the blade, as it is in the most difficult position to quickly grab and attack someone in front of you. To have the blade turned out, and/or have the handle to the right, near your sword arm, is the most offensive position, as it facilitates a rapid draw and attack.

After the bow, and when movement begins, reach your left hand to the centre of the sword, palm up, and take the sword to your left side in the reverse order to placing it on the ground. To stand however, step forward and up onto the right foot. From here you can draw immediately into hanmi, or leave the sword by your side. Keep the sword at your left side at all times, even while kneeling, until you store it away.