Kukishinden Ryu Biken Jutsu BIKENJUTSU HIKEN NO HO The Secret sword methods of the Kukishinden Ry?
contain the teachings of Kenjutsu, kodachijutsu and juttejutsu. The highest of the teachings were said by Takamatsu Sensei to be that of the jutte which contains the teachings of the offensive and defensive us e of the jutte and tessen. Toda Sensei, Takamatsus teacher, said to Takamutsu that the kenjutsu of the Kukish inden Ry? was superior to that of the Togakure Ry?. The sword of the Kukishinden Ry? had a tsuka, or handle, that was longer than th e swords used in the other classical Ry?, this allowed a greater amount of maneuverability whe n wielding the blade. The sword techniques of the school reflect the history of the school. The Kukish inden Ry? was primarily a battlefield art and so the practitioner of the Ry? would be facing o pponents who were wearing armor and therefore the cuts in the techniques are aimed at areas that w ere unprotected by the armor such as the wrist, elbow and neck. Also the Kuki Suigan, the Japane se Navy, practiced the school at one stage. This is reflected in the low sword kamae, whi ch would have been necessary aboard a moving wet deck of a ship. The Kukishinden Ry? Hiken contains a teaching called Kasumi No Ho. This is trans lated as The principle of the haze. It is said to be a state of mind for those studying the swo rd. One should exert force only when necessary, and should relax completely at other times. Thi s has the effect of reducing the effects of fatigue that would be encountered during a drawn out battle, which would leave the opponent tired and open to attack. Takamatsu sensei used a simil ar tactic to this in a taijutsu contest that he had whilst he was in China when he was 26 years ol d. The contest was with Choshiryu, a Shaolin Kung Fu master from the Santo province. It is said that he was so strong that he lifted a 248lb barbell 100 times every morning. During the contes t Choshiryu threw many kicks and punches which Takamatsu (who at that time had the name of Jutaro) avoided by using the butterfly dance technique which had conceived after a dream about a fight with a demon the previous night. After two hours Takamatsu noticed that Choshiryu was o ut of breath and he new that this was the time to attack. However, Lord Ren, a mutual friend of Takamatsu and Choshiryu stopped the fight as he could see that Choshiryu had no chance of winning. It is said that Takamatsu and Choshiryu became good friends. It should be recognized that the sword is an extension of the taijutsu and that the whole body and not just the hands and the arms should generate the movement of the sword. The m ovement of the sword should be kept to a minimum .Not only did this reduce the effort neede
d to fight but it also reduced the number of suki or weak points. Finally, I will explain about Kukishinden Hiken no Ho. There is something taught i n Kukishinden Ry? Hiken called Kasumi No Ho (The Principal of Haze), which is the state of mind fo r those who are studying the sword. In essence, one puts forth strength only when necess ary, and relaxes completely at all other times. However, this does not mean being careles s. Having mastered this, regardless of how long a fight lasts, even if you tire the oppone nt out you will not be fatigued yourself. It is crucial to work hard at training while keeping the a bove in mind. When you are practicing, recognize that the sword is an extension of your taijutsu an d use your entire Mahoutsukai Dojo
