Shinkendo Philippines​

Volume 1, Issue 3 - July 1995

 

Ioriken Battojutsu
by SoShihan T. Obata

 

Some Shinkendo students have asked about my previous training in different schools of swordsmanship, so I would like to explain about one school in which I hold Menkyo Kaiden (Master Swordsman) rank. Ioriken Battojutsu is a sword style dating from the Sengoku era (Sengoku Jidai, period of continuous warfare in Japan from about 1482-1573).

 

The ryu is presided over by 85-year old Teshinsai Uchida Sensei. Master Uchida is of Samurai descent and learned this art from his father who was also a Master of Ioriken Battojutsu. The Ioriken Battojutsu dojo is located in Kanagawa-ken, which is southwest of Tokyo.

 

About 18 years ago, a relationship developed between Toyama Ryu Battojutsu and Ioriken Ryu Battojutsu, and that is how I became associated with this school. The style encompasses suburi (solo practice), kata (forms), and tameshigiri (test cutting). All sword techniques use two hands, and this ryu never gives out honorable dan rankings; all ranks are given in consideration of skill levels.

 

I entered test cutting competitions in Ioriken Battojutsu and competed against one hundred to one hundred and fifty participants. The tournaments included ranking tests for first, second and third dans in which participants were required to cut ten standing straw bundle targets in quick succession. To qualify for third dan, a total of thrity cuts had to be executed over three consecutive rounds. All the cuts had to be perfect, no mistakes were allowed or you didn't pass. My times of 6.4, 6.4 and 6.7 seconds set a record. At that competition, only three other people were successful in cuttin 30 cuts cleanly.

 

Other testing methods included cutting to the front and then turning and quickly cutting to the back. In this case, the targets were stalks of bamboo only 6 inches tall with the target area only 1 and 1/2 inches tall.