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Koryu kenjutsu Tendo-ryu
I have passed on to you all the secret techniques of this school, and there is nothing left to say. If you think of taking on a disciple yourself, then you should practice diligently with the bamboo sword every day. Superiority is not just a matter of secret techniques.
Some people only think of Tendō-ryū in relation to the naginata, yet one of the characteristics of Tendō-ryū is that all the naginata techniques are executed against a sword. Moreover, the curriculum has a large number of techniques which do not use a naginata at all. It is a comprehensive martial art or sogobujutsu.
Tendō-ryū naginatajutsu 天道流長刀術 represents a glaive wielding style of a koryū bujutsu founded in 1582 by Saito Hangan Denkibo Katsuhide. Despite Denkibo being a brilliant swordsman of the age, he thought his skill is not sufficient enough, thus he went to a shrine in Kamakura to pray for hundred consecutive days. They say he achieved a revelation, which led to foundation of the school of the way of heaven (ten-do-ryu) as praise to the gods...
Tendō-ryū 天道流 is widely known today for its techniques with naginata (thats why naginatajutsu first place), it actually originates from the sword practice of different kinds: long and short [tachi and kodachi], both swords simultaneously [nitō] and two daggers [tanto]. However, it is generally unknown that naginata was introduced to Tendō-ryū much later.
The modern version of the naginata practice, called "new Naginata" (新しいなぎなた atarashii naginata), is one of the 9 official modern budo recognized by the Nippon Budokan. Tendō-ryū naginatajutsu 天道流長刀術 is one of the two main classical styles of naginatajutsu which atarashii naginata is derived from, the other one being Jikishinkage-ryū.
My first exposure to Tendō-ryū was in 1996 when my atarashii naginata instructor began teaching me the first set of techniques (shodan). I was practising kendo, iaido, and naginata quite actively at the time and welcomed new things to work on despite the already heavy load.
In Tendō-ryū, people start with the naginata and, after basic techniques are learned solo, beginners are matched with more senior students for tachiai, in which the naginata and sword are paired for each technique. After some time, I progressed through the techniques of the shodan, chudan, and gedan sets. My teacher introduced me to her teacher, the venerable Sawada sensei in Shinjuku, Tokyo. I deepened my knowledge of the naginata but was not introduced to the sword work of Tendō-ryū.
Some years went by. Life happened, my Tendō-ryū practice slowed, then stopped. I remained active with daily practice in other martial arts but I often felt that I needed to return to naginata, and to Tendō-ryū in particular, when the time was right.
Then came the big restart. At the end of 2016, the schedule came out for the March 2017 International Budo University Budo Seminar – an annual event of prime importance for seasoned martial artists living in Japan. Though focused primarily on the nine modern budo promoted by the Japanese government, the organizers also invited a different koryu bujutsu [old style martial art] to give a hands-on experience each year. 2017 would feature Tendō-ryū. I knew the moment I saw the information that the time had come, that I would try to become active in Tendō-ryū again.
The seminar was fantastic and it felt so good to see and practice familiar techniques once again in the hands-on portion of the day. The group's demonstration earlier in the morning was also strong and reminded me of how good the senior people are.
I spoke with Kimura sensei, the current head [soke] of the ryuha and expressed my interest in rejoining regular practice. She was full of encouragement and basically said "any time".
Who could have imagined that one of her regular teaching locations is a short bicycle ride from my home? Over the years (oh, decades at this point) how many thousands of hours of one-and two-hour train rides around the vast Tokyo megalopolis have I invested, just to get to and from practice? And here she was, minutes away.
This was an opportunity not to be missed. I went to the very next practice and have been steady ever since. This time around, I am focusing exclusively on Tendō-ryū, despite sharing practice space with highly respected Atarashii Naginata practitioners.
This time around, there is also sword. Lots of it. More than I knew even existed. I can't keep up with it all – and more is waiting for me. I was asked fairly quickly to begin wielding tachi for some of the newer members as they worked on their naginata techniques. That is what I knew existed – the senior student using the tachi as the junior student worked with the naginata (and then of course changing partners, becoming the junior, and working on my own naginata techniques!).
And this time around, I have also begun working on various other aspects of the vast Tendō-ryū curriculum. The two-sword nito techniques [three sets] are intriguing and I had the chance to perform several of them with partners at a recent demonstration in Tokyo. There are several sets of tachi tai tachi techniques, in which each partner faces off with a sword. No naginatas in sight. I am also working on the use of kaiken, tanto, and kodachi in various techniques.
So… enough of the background.
Tendō-ryū swordwork incorporates seven blades of varying length if you count nito as two [and they are of slightly different length]. Going back about four and half centuries, Tendō-ryū was originally a school of swordwork directly tied to famed swordsman Tsukahara Bokuden [天道流, founded in 1582 by Saito Hangan Denkibo Katsuhide]. Even today, Tendō-ryū joins numerous other ryuha for an annual enbu performance at Kashima Jingu, all of them related in some way to Bokuden.
One of the oldest books about Tendō-ryū, written by Mitamura Kunihiko, goes into great detail about sword usage throughout the book. Chapter XVII in particular is all about weapons-related etiquette and is very detailed, including instructions on all weapons, and notes on drawing the sword and returning it to the scabbard. It also includes photos and explanation of how to grip a katana. So it is clear that in the past, sword work was quite important in Tendō-ryū.
How did the naginata come in?
When was it brought into the curriculum? No one knows. There are other questions which are hard to answer. Where did the kusarigama techniques come in? And those of the jo? How did the sword fall from prominence within Tendō-ryū, to the extent that many people think of Tendō-ryū solely as a naginata ryuha?
In any case, there is a deep amount of swordwork involved, and there has been for centuries. Most people are initiated to the bokuto side [as tachi] after some years of practice and that is the extent of their sword training. But within the overall curriculum, there are numerous tachi tai tachi techniques.
This tachi is slightly shorter than the standard bokuto. The techniques are short and crisp and the encounters last seconds. They offer a very different way of using the sword than we have come to know through modern kendo. At the same time, the tachi techniques form a coherent whole with the naginata techniques in terms of things like strong hip motion while rotating into the crossed-leg kumi ashi stance when cutting downward.
Then there are the other sword techniques: nito, kodachi, tanto, kaiken. Some techniques involve dropping one's naginata and pulling out a shorter weapon. There are a few particularly interesting techniques which involve taking the opponent's sword away. Indeed, Tendō-ryū offers a wide and deep look at swordwork against a variety of weapons.
Tendō-ryū naginatajutsu 天道流長刀術 represents a glaive wielding style of a koryū bujutsu founded in 1582 by Saito Hangan Denkibo Katsuhide. Despite Denkibo being a brilliant swordsman of the age, he thought his skill is not sufficient enough, thus he went to a shrine in Kamakura to pray for hundred consecutive days. They say he achieved a revelation, which led to foundation of the school of the way of heaven (ten-do-ryu) as praise to the gods...
Tendō-ryū 天道流 is widely known today for its techniques with naginata (thats why naginatajutsu first place), it actually originates from the sword practice of different kinds: long and short [tachi and kodachi], both swords simultaneously [nitō] and two daggers [tanto]. However, it is generally unknown that naginata was introduced to Tendō-ryū much later.
The modern version of the naginata practice, called "new Naginata" (新しいなぎなた atarashii naginata), is one of the 9 official modern budo recognized by the Nippon Budokan. Tendō-ryū naginatajutsu 天道流長刀術 is one of the two main classical styles of naginatajutsu which atarashii naginata is derived from, the other one being Jikishinkage-ryū.
My first exposure to Tendō-ryū was in 1996 when my atarashii naginata instructor began teaching me the first set of techniques (shodan). I was practising kendo, iaido, and naginata quite actively at the time and welcomed new things to work on despite the already heavy load.
* * *
In Tendō-ryū, people start with the naginata and, after basic techniques are learned solo, beginners are matched with more senior students for tachiai, in which the naginata and sword are paired for each technique. After some time, I progressed through the techniques of the shodan, chudan, and gedan sets. My teacher introduced me to her teacher, the venerable Sawada sensei in Shinjuku, Tokyo. I deepened my knowledge of the naginata but was not introduced to the sword work of Tendō-ryū.
Some years went by. Life happened, my Tendō-ryū practice slowed, then stopped. I remained active with daily practice in other martial arts but I often felt that I needed to return to naginata, and to Tendō-ryū in particular, when the time was right.
Then came the big restart. At the end of 2016, the schedule came out for the March 2017 International Budo University Budo Seminar – an annual event of prime importance for seasoned martial artists living in Japan. Though focused primarily on the nine modern budo promoted by the Japanese government, the organizers also invited a different koryu bujutsu [old style martial art] to give a hands-on experience each year. 2017 would feature Tendō-ryū. I knew the moment I saw the information that the time had come, that I would try to become active in Tendō-ryū again.
The seminar was fantastic and it felt so good to see and practice familiar techniques once again in the hands-on portion of the day. The group's demonstration earlier in the morning was also strong and reminded me of how good the senior people are.
I spoke with Kimura sensei, the current head [soke] of the ryuha and expressed my interest in rejoining regular practice. She was full of encouragement and basically said "any time".
Who could have imagined that one of her regular teaching locations is a short bicycle ride from my home? Over the years (oh, decades at this point) how many thousands of hours of one-and two-hour train rides around the vast Tokyo megalopolis have I invested, just to get to and from practice? And here she was, minutes away.
This was an opportunity not to be missed. I went to the very next practice and have been steady ever since. This time around, I am focusing exclusively on Tendō-ryū, despite sharing practice space with highly respected Atarashii Naginata practitioners.
This time around, there is also sword. Lots of it. More than I knew even existed. I can't keep up with it all – and more is waiting for me. I was asked fairly quickly to begin wielding tachi for some of the newer members as they worked on their naginata techniques. That is what I knew existed – the senior student using the tachi as the junior student worked with the naginata (and then of course changing partners, becoming the junior, and working on my own naginata techniques!).
And this time around, I have also begun working on various other aspects of the vast Tendō-ryū curriculum. The two-sword nito techniques [three sets] are intriguing and I had the chance to perform several of them with partners at a recent demonstration in Tokyo. There are several sets of tachi tai tachi techniques, in which each partner faces off with a sword. No naginatas in sight. I am also working on the use of kaiken, tanto, and kodachi in various techniques.
So… enough of the background.
* * *
Tendō-ryū swordwork incorporates seven blades of varying length if you count nito as two [and they are of slightly different length]. Going back about four and half centuries, Tendō-ryū was originally a school of swordwork directly tied to famed swordsman Tsukahara Bokuden [天道流, founded in 1582 by Saito Hangan Denkibo Katsuhide]. Even today, Tendō-ryū joins numerous other ryuha for an annual enbu performance at Kashima Jingu, all of them related in some way to Bokuden.
One of the oldest books about Tendō-ryū, written by Mitamura Kunihiko, goes into great detail about sword usage throughout the book. Chapter XVII in particular is all about weapons-related etiquette and is very detailed, including instructions on all weapons, and notes on drawing the sword and returning it to the scabbard. It also includes photos and explanation of how to grip a katana. So it is clear that in the past, sword work was quite important in Tendō-ryū.
How did the naginata come in?
When was it brought into the curriculum? No one knows. There are other questions which are hard to answer. Where did the kusarigama techniques come in? And those of the jo? How did the sword fall from prominence within Tendō-ryū, to the extent that many people think of Tendō-ryū solely as a naginata ryuha?
In any case, there is a deep amount of swordwork involved, and there has been for centuries. Most people are initiated to the bokuto side [as tachi] after some years of practice and that is the extent of their sword training. But within the overall curriculum, there are numerous tachi tai tachi techniques.
This tachi is slightly shorter than the standard bokuto. The techniques are short and crisp and the encounters last seconds. They offer a very different way of using the sword than we have come to know through modern kendo. At the same time, the tachi techniques form a coherent whole with the naginata techniques in terms of things like strong hip motion while rotating into the crossed-leg kumi ashi stance when cutting downward.
Then there are the other sword techniques: nito, kodachi, tanto, kaiken. Some techniques involve dropping one's naginata and pulling out a shorter weapon. There are a few particularly interesting techniques which involve taking the opponent's sword away. Indeed, Tendō-ryū offers a wide and deep look at swordwork against a variety of weapons.
Tendo-ryu is rightly considered a full-fledged martial art, or in other words sōgō budō, as the school's curriculum includes many techniques with various classical Japanese weapons. Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu「天道流長刀術」is a style of naginata swordmaship, a branch of koryū budō founded by Denkibo Katsuhide Saito on 21 November 1582. Despite Denkibo being a renowned master of the sword in his lifetime, a student of the legendary swordsman Bokuden Tsukahara, he nevertheless remained sceptical of his own ability; therefore, as legend has it, he went to a shrine in Kamakura to offer prayers to the gods for a hundred days. It is said that he attained enlightenment, and to repay the gods he founded his school and named it “school of the way of heaven” (ten-dō-ryū). To this day, Tendo-ryu is annually presented alongside countless classical ryūha at the enbū in Kashima Jingū, and all of them are connected in one way or another with Bokuden.
Tendo-ryu「天道流」is widespread today thanks to its naginata techniques; in reality, the origins of this school stem from various sword-fighting techniques: with the long and short sword [tachi and kodachi]; with two swords simultaneously [nitō]; or with two daggers [tantō]. What is unusual is the little-known fact that the naginata appeared in Tendo-ryu much later. In Tendo-ryu, naginata techniques and the others are practised in the form of kata for training in the handling of real weapons subsequently. These kata include the most rational method of using the weapon, consisting in responding to the constantly changing movements of the opponent, including in the form of advance-and-strike, retreat-and-strike, and strikes during a change of stance. A distinctive feature of this koryū is the body position with the chest held parallel to the weapon and the footwork “kumi-ashi”, in which a step is taken from a position of crossed legs with bent knees.
The modern version of the naginata style is called “new naginata” or atarashi naginata「新しいなぎなた」, and is included among the 9 officially recognised modern budō of the Nippon Budokan. At the same time, Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu is currently one of the two main surviving classical styles of naginatajutsu from which atarashi naginata originated. Moreover, in Japan, Tendo-ryu is practised both separately from modern naginata and with parallel study of these two directions.
In Russia, Tendo-ryu was first presented by Kaoru Sumi sensei, naginata hanshi, as part of comprehensive atarashi naginata training in the mid-2010s. After that, thanks to the efforts of the president of the Russian Naginata Association, Daria Litunenko, Sumi sensei became the head of the naginata direction here in Russia, including within Tendo-ryu. Since the opening of the first naginata club, KAMINARIKAN dōjō, in 2018 in Moscow, under the leadership of Ann and Andrew Bragin, Tendo-ryu has been practised alongside atarashi naginata to this day.
Tendo-ryu training begins with beginners first learning naginata techniques individually. After the basic techniques have been learned, beginners proceed to practise techniques in pairs with more experienced students in the form of tachi-ai, where the naginata and sword are combined in paired techniques. After some time, when the students achieve certain successes in the shōdan, chūdan, and gedan sections, and their knowledge of naginata techniques becomes fuller, training with the sword begins.
In Tendo-ryu there are seven variations of swords of different lengths, if nitō is counted as two swords (they actually differ only slightly in length). One of the oldest books about Tendo-ryu, written by Kunihiko Mitamura, describes sword work in detail throughout the narrative. It also contains drawings and explanations of how to correctly hold a real sword. It is certain that sword work was fundamental in Tendo-ryu until recently, and so it has been throughout many centuries. The tachi in Tendo-ryu is slightly shorter than a standard bokutō. Its techniques are short in amplitude and very precise, and duels last seconds. Tendo-ryu carries a completely different approach to the use of the sword than the approach we observe in other koryū. At the same time, the sword techniques logically connect the naginata techniques, consisting in a strong movement of the hips to turn into the crossed-leg position (kumi-ashi) when cutting from top to bottom. Some kata practise situations in which the naginata is discarded and a shorter weapon is drawn. There are also very remarkable techniques that consist in disarming the opponent.
Undoubtedly, Tendo-ryu can tell and show us a deep understanding and approach to working with the classical Japanese sword against various weapons and vice versa. At the moment KAMINARIKAN dojō is the only club in Moscow where you can practice both naginata and Tendō-ryū. If you are interested just give us a call! Stay tuned!
Koryū — Tendo-ryu bujutsu「天道流」, direction — Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu「天道流長刀術」
Founded — 21 November 1582
Head — Yatsuko Kimura sensei, 17th Sōkyō (prev. Takeko Mitarai, 16th Sōkyō)
Location — Shingetsukai, Hyōgo, Japan
Directions — tachi against naginata, tachi against jō, tachi against kusarigama, tachi against nitō, tachi against tantō, tachi against tachi, tachi against kodachi
Representatives — Darya Litunenko, president of the Russian Naginata Association, St Petersburg [+7 911 273 52 33], Ann and Andrew Bragin, KAMINARIKAN kendo and naginata dojo, Moscow [+7 977 990 55 38]
Shihan — Kaoru Sumi sensei, naginata hanshi
Tendo-ryu「天道流」is widespread today thanks to its naginata techniques; in reality, the origins of this school stem from various sword-fighting techniques: with the long and short sword [tachi and kodachi]; with two swords simultaneously [nitō]; or with two daggers [tantō]. What is unusual is the little-known fact that the naginata appeared in Tendo-ryu much later. In Tendo-ryu, naginata techniques and the others are practised in the form of kata for training in the handling of real weapons subsequently. These kata include the most rational method of using the weapon, consisting in responding to the constantly changing movements of the opponent, including in the form of advance-and-strike, retreat-and-strike, and strikes during a change of stance. A distinctive feature of this koryū is the body position with the chest held parallel to the weapon and the footwork “kumi-ashi”, in which a step is taken from a position of crossed legs with bent knees.
The modern version of the naginata style is called “new naginata” or atarashi naginata「新しいなぎなた」, and is included among the 9 officially recognised modern budō of the Nippon Budokan. At the same time, Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu is currently one of the two main surviving classical styles of naginatajutsu from which atarashi naginata originated. Moreover, in Japan, Tendo-ryu is practised both separately from modern naginata and with parallel study of these two directions.
In Russia, Tendo-ryu was first presented by Kaoru Sumi sensei, naginata hanshi, as part of comprehensive atarashi naginata training in the mid-2010s. After that, thanks to the efforts of the president of the Russian Naginata Association, Daria Litunenko, Sumi sensei became the head of the naginata direction here in Russia, including within Tendo-ryu. Since the opening of the first naginata club, KAMINARIKAN dōjō, in 2018 in Moscow, under the leadership of Ann and Andrew Bragin, Tendo-ryu has been practised alongside atarashi naginata to this day.
Tendo-ryu training begins with beginners first learning naginata techniques individually. After the basic techniques have been learned, beginners proceed to practise techniques in pairs with more experienced students in the form of tachi-ai, where the naginata and sword are combined in paired techniques. After some time, when the students achieve certain successes in the shōdan, chūdan, and gedan sections, and their knowledge of naginata techniques becomes fuller, training with the sword begins.
In Tendo-ryu there are seven variations of swords of different lengths, if nitō is counted as two swords (they actually differ only slightly in length). One of the oldest books about Tendo-ryu, written by Kunihiko Mitamura, describes sword work in detail throughout the narrative. It also contains drawings and explanations of how to correctly hold a real sword. It is certain that sword work was fundamental in Tendo-ryu until recently, and so it has been throughout many centuries. The tachi in Tendo-ryu is slightly shorter than a standard bokutō. Its techniques are short in amplitude and very precise, and duels last seconds. Tendo-ryu carries a completely different approach to the use of the sword than the approach we observe in other koryū. At the same time, the sword techniques logically connect the naginata techniques, consisting in a strong movement of the hips to turn into the crossed-leg position (kumi-ashi) when cutting from top to bottom. Some kata practise situations in which the naginata is discarded and a shorter weapon is drawn. There are also very remarkable techniques that consist in disarming the opponent.
Undoubtedly, Tendo-ryu can tell and show us a deep understanding and approach to working with the classical Japanese sword against various weapons and vice versa. At the moment KAMINARIKAN dojō is the only club in Moscow where you can practice both naginata and Tendō-ryū. If you are interested just give us a call! Stay tuned!
* * *
Koryū — Tendo-ryu bujutsu「天道流」, direction — Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu「天道流長刀術」
Founded — 21 November 1582
Head — Yatsuko Kimura sensei, 17th Sōkyō (prev. Takeko Mitarai, 16th Sōkyō)
Location — Shingetsukai, Hyōgo, Japan
Directions — tachi against naginata, tachi against jō, tachi against kusarigama, tachi against nitō, tachi against tantō, tachi against tachi, tachi against kodachi
Representatives — Darya Litunenko, president of the Russian Naginata Association, St Petersburg [+7 911 273 52 33], Ann and Andrew Bragin, KAMINARIKAN kendo and naginata dojo, Moscow [+7 977 990 55 38]
Shihan — Kaoru Sumi sensei, naginata hanshi
The original article was published by Bryan Peterson at Kendo World on the September 25, 2019 and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
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